Necessary by the Order
by LadySeradeRETURNS
Summary: Marriage Law for SiriusHermione. In order to protect her, he had to marry her. After HBP.
1. Necessary by the Order

Just outside of London in a typical suburban neighborhood, secrets are kept. The end of summer approached and the smell of the new fall was upon us. Down one of these narrow streets in said typical suburban area, sat a house, an estate rather. An estate that belonged to a long line of pureblood wizards and witches of the Black family. Having all the family members being long since diseased, except one, the house sat vacant and lifeless for ten years.

Sitting between number eleven and number thirteen, number twelve Grimmauld Place now served as a meeting place for a secret, underground society of the wizarding world.

The place appeared to be long deserted to anyone, if they could see it, but surely this was not the case. For the last three years, this house was used not only to hide Sirius Black at one time, but also to remain hidden and unplottable. A place that only the strongest of wizards met, several new young ones fresh from their graduation at Hogwarts, to divulge plans to overcome the Dark Lord Voldemort.

In the kitchen of number twelve Grimmauld Place, the usual crowd stood or sat around the wooden kitchen table. It doubled as an interactive map when the meetings were kept and easily cleared when dinner was about to be served. There was a heavy cauldron over the fire boiling vegetables, giving off a delicious smell. The cupboards were filled with aged plates and matching goblets sat high on display, proudly showing off the Black family crest (well the few that were left, that Mundungus hadn't stolen two years earlier). Where dark tapestries depicting serpents and snakes during Sirius Black's childhood once hung, phoenix crests with vibrant colored tapestries filled the once dark and dismal, dungeon-like kitchen. However, many times, Severus Snape criticized the new decorations, claiming that the previous look was much better. Sirius never listened to more than what Snape would say past "hello," knowing that nothing that left his mouth was ever really worth much to him to begin with.

Molly Weasley, who also sometimes doubled as the den mother at times, listened in while watching a stew stir itself over a stove. Kingsley Shaklebot stood against the door acting as a bodyguard. Snape sat on one side of the table, holding his breath as he watched Sirius leaning back, quite arrogantly, on two legs of his chair. Snape quietly conspired a way to kick the two remaininglegs out from under his pompous ass without anyone noticing. Regretably, the answer was not coming quick enough. Arthur Weasley sat at the table completely attentive as if his entire life was at stake. Harry Potter sat on the kitchen counter, listening, but watching Snape glare at his godfather, Sirius, and thinking it was rather funny. Ron Weasley sat at the table, rolling a pencil back and forth in front of him. Tonks stood at her boyfriend's side, smiling with pride, but wavering to a frown now and then as Remus Lupin read on next to her.

Remus read from a fresh copy of the Daily Prophet, the ink nearly still wet, loud and clear to fill the room, "The Ministry of Magic declares that this law must be followed through as of midnight September twenty-eighth-"

"That's two days from now!" Molly whispered, her voice heavy with concern.

"I know, Molly," he assured her. He took another breath before continuing on, eyes watching Severus and then back to his paper, "That any mudblood-"

"I can't believe they actually printed that word!" Molly interrupted again, looking positively distraught. On the verge of tears she quickly turned back to face the stove to find solace in her cooking.

Remus gave Molly a quick nod, acknowledging her concern and finished, "That any mudblood witch must marry a pureblood in order to re-populate the bloodline."

"Or what?" Harry asked, jumping down off the counter and taking a few steps closer to Remus as if he had all the answers.

"Or, she will be thrown in Azkaban for treason to the Ministry. I know Harry, it's not fair." Remus lifted a hand on his shoulder to calm him for the time being.

"Voldemort is behind this!" Harry piped up, his lower lip quivering.

Sirius chuckled from his two-legged chair and said, "My brilliant godson, he's behind everything! Come on, Harry, it doesn't even need to be said. Clearly, it's obvious that someone is in the ministry doing this that makes these laws to pass. We need to find out, Kingsley, Arthur, who that is. I mean, has it come to this, that they are so worried about purebloods that they're forcing witches to marry for the sole purpose of breeding? This, so far, has been the biggest bunch of bull shit they've done, yet."

"So, who in the order needs to be betrothed?" Snape sighed, as if this was the least of all the cares in his world.

"Well, there's…there's…Merlin's beard, we only have one half witch in the Order. Just one to protect." Arthur said, standing from his seat as the group thought it over during the few minutes of silence.

The silence was broken as weak Molly turned around practically in tears. As if one of her own was just sacrificed to death, she sobbed, "Hermione. Her parents are both muggles."

"Well, what could happen if she doesn't marry one of us?" Harry asked, begging for immediate answers quicker then they could be conjured up.

"Then, she could be married off to a Death Eater and who knows whom she'd get." Snape purred, quite taken with the idea of Hermione being sent off to the other side. At least when it came to being a spy, he wouldn't have to work alone. But, then his conscience stepped in and he remembered his feelings of Lily Evans (Potter).

"Probably Malfoy. He's the kind of git that would find it funny to own her, because that's all she'd be to him. Property." Ron grunted. He knew that she'd have to stay with someone in the Order, to keep her safe from harm's way.

"I'll marry her!" Harry shouted, eager to protect someone as close to him as she was. After all she'd done for him through the years, after all they'd been through, the least he could do was try his best to protect her. He'd rather die than give her to Malfoy or anyone else that was remotely associated to Voldemort.

"You can't Harry, you're not a pureblood." Remus was quick to add as Tonks held his hand for support, for she was not affected.

"Shaklebot's married," Arthur started down the line of Order members, "Fred and George are both engaged, Bill is married, Charlie is way over in Romania, Ron, well, I don't think Lavender would even let you look at Hermione now that you two are back together again. Severus?"

"He can't!" Harry started, receiving a sharp glare from his ex-professor, "He can't, because he's the half-blood prince." He waited until Snape gave him a rather arrogant nod, but it was the truth. "Lupin, you have to marry her!"

"I bet your pardon?" Tonks asked.

"It's all right, Harry I can't. I may be of pureblood, but I'm still a mixed breed. The blood in me is tainted, and-" Remus added, holding a tight hand on Tonks.

"It is NOT tainted!" she cried, defending all parts of him to the very end.

"It is, now Harry, I can't. That leaves…" Remus's eyes followed over the table, slowly passing over each and every Order member, before settling on the man leaning back on two legs. Sirius had been listening to the conversation, but not watching and had been completely oblivious to the entire meeting, now looking at him. "Sirius Black."

Crash!

Just as Snape had hoped and with no assistance from the ex-potions master, Sirius fell backwards in his chair to a crashing blow. Looking quite pleased, Snape watched as a frantic Sirius, now with fragments of the chair scattered all around him, look up. A painful look of shock was aimed towards his best friend, as if he had just been told he'd been sacrificed to death – again.

The silence broke as a rushed Hermione Granger flew into the kitchen. Nearly knocking over Shaklebot, she quickly took a seat on the table after slamming her various books and papers down before her. Out of breath, a bit disheveled, and her hair coming loose from her braid, she shouted, "Okay, what have I missed?"


	2. Love is in the Air

AN Thanks to all of you that commented. Thanks to all of you that emailed me and told me to get my butt in gear. I've been fighting off some plot bunnies that seemed to be breeding around my computer. I've started a lot of stories, but I intend on finishing them all. Enjoy!

Chapter 2 – Love is in the Air

The air in the room seemed to thicken around everyone, except Hermione. She was still lost where the conversation had ended. All eyes were on her as she adjusted her shirt and flipped her brown curls over her shoulder.

"Why is he on the floor? Sirius, are you okay?" Hermione asked, making her way around the table out of ignorant courtesy. "Is no one going to help him up?"

When Sirius saw her coming closer to him, arms outstretched, he immediately began to stumble up from the floor, avoiding any physical contact with the girl. He imagined that his fate would be sealed, just by her touch. He managed to stand up, balancing on shaking legs and brush himself off, "No, I'm fine! I'm fine. Just," Sirius threw a glance over to Snape, knowing that he had something to do with the unstable legs of his century old family chair, "just fell over."

Snape's poor acting did not conceal the low chuckle that escaped deep within his throat. He lifted his arms in a sarcastic surrender to prove he had nothing up his sleeve to perform such a magnificent trick. Sirius picked up the beaten chair, planting it firmly on the hard stone floor like a pouting child and positioned himself carefully back onto it.

"Well, sorry for that." she sweetly replied, and then immediately returned to her standing spot to get back into Order discussions, "Remus, where are we? What did I miss so far? Where did you just leave off as I came in?"

The young brunette raised her chin towards Remus, her former professor, eager to hear of the business so far. Everyone had grown quite silent when she first flew into the room, so she assumed that whatever the discussion was beforehand, it had to be good. She stood there patiently, waiting for someone to speak. Her hands found business in the papers lying before her on the table as she started to become a little self-conscious with all eyes on her.

Remus looked around at a few other members' faces while gathering his thoughts where to begin again. He sighed, took his seat and told Hermione to do the same. Everyone sitting at the table decided to either refresh their teas or grab a biscuit during the review. Sirius, however, stayed put, staring at his folded hands as if something in them was going to save him from this implied incarceration.

As Remus got to the end of the story, right at the part when Sirius fell off his chair, he carefully slowed his words down, as if explaining it to a child. Sirius slowly released his hands and spread them out over the table to clutch the ends. Giving him a little bit more stability as the new information sunk in and to make sure his chair didn't give out underneath him.

Again, the room fell silent, Remus had finished the story and Sirius was still sitting on all fours.

Hermione absorbed the newly passed law, catching every single syllable that Remus had explained. Then…he dropped the bomb.

The room was as silent as a ticking time bomb. The faucet in the sink released a drip that sounded like a drum. The owls on the sill fluttered their wings, eagerly anticipating a message delivery, sounded like an entire football team running onto the field. As if the entire planet stopped its rotation, they awaited her reaction. To stay safe, her life was going to change, as she was now promised to the notorious Sirius Black, Azkaban escapee.

She didn't fly off the handle. She didn't storm around the room screaming and making a scene. She just sat there, folded her hands over her notebook and then leaned back in her chair, staring into space past the others.

"Hermione?" a voice spoke.

She just blinked, her face frozen in thought.

"Hermione, my dear, are you alright?" Professor McGonagall asked, carefully placing a hand on her former student's shoulder. There was nothing she could say to change the situation, as it was entirely up to her. The Order had only her best interests at heart, and thought it was good idea to protect her by marrying her within the secret society.

"You do of course," a low somber voice began from the end of the table, "have choices."

Hermione's eyes lifted with the glimmer of hope that there was another way in this matter. She doubted that her former potions professor could have the solution, already.

"You could marry a Death Eater."

"I don't think that's a fair choice for her." Sirius finally spoke, breaking away from his silent prayers that his bachelor life wasn't over just yet. His prowling couldn't come to an end by the law of the Ministry, but he had pledged himself to the Order and he would be willing to do the noble thing, regardless. But, this was him they were dealing with to. No one had even asked him yet, whether it seemed like a good idea. They just nominated him.

Snape rolled his eyes and laid them on the ally he loathed the most, "It would be if you were the alternative."

"I'm sorry you're not in the running, half-blood." Sirius couldn't help but gloat.

"Boys, please!" Tonks snapped at the grown men acting like children. "This is not the time." Her eyes returned to Hermione, "I know it's happening fast, Hermione. But, really…you have no choice if you want to be protected."

Hermione eyes began to focus across the table. Sirius lifted his head slowly, meeting her cool stare. She began to read his character, sympathizing with him, that they probably hadn't discussed this with him either.

"How long do I have to get married?" Hermione whispered, staring right through Sirius, knowing that he was her only hope in the Order. If she left herself to be married off by a Death Eater, who knows what harm would come to her, as well as the grueling torture she'd have to endure to give up the Order.

Professor McGonagall lifted her comforting hand from Hermione's shoulder and continued on around the table.

"Two weeks." He answered in a soft voice, as if sentencing her to death.

Hermione swallowed the lump in her throat and looked over to Harry. He seemed to be calm, not saying much of anything. "And how would you feel about it?"

Harry looked over at his shaken godfather, his hands still firmly grasping the edges of the table. He looked back at Hermione and shook his head, "At least we'd be able to keep you close."

"Harry," Sirius whispered, knowing that the situation would be odd for him. He couldn't help but reach out to Harry for some kind of alternative. Surely, his godfather being married to his own best friend might generate some kind of discomfort.

"It's for the Order, Sirius. You have to do it. You have to save, Hermione." The son of James replied, laying a gentle hand on his guardian's arm, silently begging him to agree.

"Maybe, Hermione and I," Sirius began, looking back at Hermione, who seemed to remain frozen, "should talk."

The room murmured in agreement and quietly began to exit the kitchen. They grabbed their butterbeers, biscuits and books and vacated the room to allow privacy for the newly betrothed. When the last person was out the door, the two sat quietly for a few minutes, to absorb the new silence. The sound of the only two people in the room seemed to still sound crowded.

Sirius shook his head a bit, his shoulder length black hair falling into his eyes and a nervous hand reached up to push it back. His hands no longer clutching the ends of the table, he realized he wasn't going to fall out of his chair. He next made the first bold step to stand up, in order to sit closer to her to actually talk.

Forcing his feet to move from his end, he walked the length of the table, mentally comparing it to the mile on death row. He carefully sat down in the chair closest to her, steadying himself for a few seconds to make sure Snape hadn't jinxed this one as well. He folded his hands over the table, his eyes catching a glimpse of her forgotten notes that lay in front of her.

_She's so wordy._

Would his life be condemned to countless books and discussions of wizard history? He couldn't guess what it would be like, committing himself to someone that had never lived like a pureblood, never knew what it felt like, how others perceived you, and how muggle she really was. He could look at it like he was going to be her teacher, in a way, guiding her through this new lifestyle. He could also look at the truth of the situation; Hermione Granger would never bow down to another. She was as stubborn as she was intelligent, she was as strict as she was pretty and she was dripping with the honest truth of etiquette and morals.

_There's gotta be another way!_

"Are you, okay?" he asked, genuinely pretending to be sincere as he secretly prayed that there was another alternative the two could come up.

With the feeling nausea beginning to settle down in her stomach, Hermione lowered her head as she envisioned her life as Mrs. Sirius Black. The wife of the town prowler, the Casanova of Hogwarts, and the rebel of the Order. The only thing she really had going for it, was that he was extremely handsome and many might have thought her to be quite lucky to have been able to nab him. Next to Harry, Sirius was the pretty boy of the Daily Prophet. The first mention of him being married would probably run her good name back through the mud again.

The nausea churned deep inside as dreaded headlines began to bark through her imagination, "Granger and Black: Forbidden Romance", "Granger cheats on Potter with godfather" or the last, but worst one, "Granger: keeping it in the family". Hermione and Harry had never been together, but ever since Rita Skeeter proposed their nonexistent romance to the readers her fourth year at Hogwarts, people still sneered at her now and then. The reputation of how Rita Skeeter got her stories through lies and manipulation was the only thing that allowed her face to still be allowed in the Ministry when she applied for an Auror job there.

Realizing that she still hadn't answered Sirius since he asked how she was, she nodded her head to finally acknowledge him. She knew that he sat right next to her, she knew that he was trying to be consoling and she knew that he wasn't very happy about this either. But, at this point, they had no other choice. The others had thought about it before them, considering all the options. Sirius was the best, and only, candidate as of now and the only thing they had to do was agree to it. Otherwise, Hermione might not be too happy with what was in store for her.

She finally began to make some small talk with him, not sure exactly how to put into words show she sincerely felt about being married to him. Their lives, as they knew it, were going to change quite dramatically, with many questions beginning to arise between them. Could they still date? Would they be able to have relationships with other people? Would they have to consummate their marriage?

"REMUS!" Sirius shouted through the kitchen, his voice reverberating off of every pot and bottle in the room like an arrow.

Remus burst through the kitchen door, slightly out of breath and stared down at the two, still sitting quite calmly at the table. He used one hand to hold the door open before coming into the kitchen and the other clutched his chest.

"God, I thought you two were already trying to kill each other!" he breathed.

"No," Hermione lazily smiled, "We just need you-"

"As a mediator?" Remus teased, approaching the table to join them, picking up the bottle of firewhisky that sat on the counter.

"No, to help us answer some questions." She finished.

He sat down at the table, pushing the bottle to his mate, knowing that he was in dire need for a drink.

Hermione began to focus on the situation at hand. As if she was describing the formula for a science experiment, she careful studied each and every word that left her mouth, checking for any loopholes.

Nothing. Everything was the same. After ten minutes of breaking the law back and forth, Hermione had no choice but to marry Sirius Black.

When the room silenced for a few seconds, something lingered on Hermione's tongue. Something she was afraid to ask, but knew that she had to. She glanced over at Sirius, who found the bottle of firewhisky more entertaining at the moment.

She took a deep breath, and looked Remus straight in the eye, "So, after we're married," she couldn't help but lower her voice, feeling the warmth begin to fill her cheeks, "Will we have to," she glanced over at Sirius, slightly embarrassed.

Sirius watched her practically stumbling over the words, when they came like second nature to him. He looked back at Remus, pushing the bottle back to him and breaking the tension she was building up, "Will we have to do it?"

"Consummate, was what I was thinking." She sighed, trying not to be as crude.

"No." Remus quickly answered, happy to answer that question.

Both Sirius and Hermione looked up with bright eyes and hope. Maybe it wasn't going to be so bad!

"No, you won't. The Ministry will never know how you two live, as long as you live together as a married couple. They might come and check, but they won't stay by your bedroom." Remus smiled, happy to see that the two seemed to be slightly relieved. Already the sensibility started to return to Hermione and it showed with the way she started to collect and fix her notes that had lain askew in front of her.

Sirius began to smile an almost pleasing smile, and started to celebrate by pushing his chair back on two legs again. He felt his body relax, he pushed back his hair and was starting to lean back further when he added, "So, we can still date other people and shag till our hearts content."

"No."

Sirius nearly fell backwards again, and quickly reached out for that table in front of him before Snape smiled to himself from somewhere in the house.

"What!" the two shouted in unison.

Remus knew that was coming next and with the volume the two possessed, he shuddered just a little, afraid of the wrath that Hermione had pent up.

He shook his head, his hands in front of him for protection as he continued on, "That, however, is something you can't do." The two tried their best to interject, beginning to banter to each other, ganging up on poor Remus, "Look, you two have to masquerade as a married couple. You can't go around "cating" around London, Sirius. The Ministry will never believe it."

They tried to interject again, Sirius trying to salvage his dignity a little, though the truth hurt.

"You won't have to sleep together, but you certainly can't sleep with anyone else! What if it gets out? What if someone sets one of you two up?"

Hermione and Sirius began to bicker back and forth about personal habits and it was starting to get ugly, already. They hadn't even said vows yet, and divorce was already immanent.

"Shut up! Both of you!" Remus yelled, trying his best to get control over the situation. "We've tried to go round and round with this. There is no other way."

Sirius shook his head, enraged with the Ministry and their leaders in command. It wasn't fair. Granted, it wasn't fair to Hermione, but it wasn't fair to him, either.

"I won't do it. This is preposterous! They'll just have to fuck themselves. We won't let Hermione get taken by Death Eaters another way. I won't marry her for that. If they're going to control every aspect of our lives, then no. No, I won't do it."

Hermione quieted down, watching Sirius run his mouth about the Ministry. He was saying enough for the both of them, but for a second, he frightened her with the idea that he wouldn't marry her. He was, honestly, her only hope and as much as she would argue till she turned blue in the face about it, she had nowhere else to turn.

"You have to, Sirius. Think of Harry!" Remus argued, raising his voice to his stubborn friend.

"I am thinking of Harry! I'm thinking how this might, by chance, fuck him up. I'm his guardian, his father's best friend, the one he turns to for direction! I can't go off and shack up with his best childhood friend."

"It's more than that," Remus tried to help him see the facts. "Hermione matters a great deal to Harry, as do you. There is no one else to keep her safe, but you, Sirius. She needs you, Harry needs you. It's just going to have to be fine."

Sirius reached for the firewhisky bottle to take a swig. The idea of him marrying Hermione, again, frightened him. Good-bye bachelorhood. Good-bye shagging who and when he wanted. Welcome back to number 12 Grimmauld Place prison.

The silence was drawn out after Remus's words. Hermione looked about the room, focusing on anything but Sirius. He was just getting too intense, and the drinking wasn't helping.

"Could we get divorced, later?" Hermione whispered, grasping for any sense of hope.

"If the war comes out in our favor, it may turn out that it wasn't necessary in the first place. But, at least by marrying each other, it's a marriage of consent and not forced. We're lucky to have the choice to use, Sirius, in this matter."

"Keyword, use." He mumbled, preoccupying himself with the bottle, once more.

"It's for the Order, Sirius. Let's think optimistically that we are going to win this war and when we get the right people at the top of the Ministry again, the law will be broken. So, for now, think of it as only temporary."

"I told myself that I would die for anyone in the Order and I'd be willing to make any sacrifice." He said, more to his chest than to the two people in front of him.

Hermione looked over to Sirius, her eyes widening with anger at the words he just said, "You think by marrying me, is a sacrifice you're going to make? Do you really think I am going to enjoy being married to a man with the mentality of a sixteen year old?"

Sirius glanced over at Hermione, catching her hateful stare she threw his way. Maybe that wasn't the wisest thing to say at this moment. "That's not what I meant!" he tried to interject, before she completely flew off the handle, "Now, calm down!"

"Both of you calm down! Contrary to what you want to believe, we've concluded that there is no other choice. Sirius, consider it a mission. Hermione, consider this a salvation. You two will have to try and play it off convincing, when we announce it to the Ministry. People are going to balk, people will write stories, but you're just going to have to deal with it. If we want to protect you, Hermione, it's what we have to do to keep you in the Order. Sirius, Harry will have to deal. You both mean a lot to him, and if anything, he seems to be taking it better than you two. You don't have to sleep together; you don't even have to be friendly. Just, when the Ministry is around, you two better be convincing because, frankly, Hermione Granger would never marry anyone like Sirius Black."

Remus had practically lost his breath over the two, that he ended his lecture on a smile. It was true; Sirius Black and Hermione Granger were probably the most unlikely couple he'd ever known.

Sirius folded his arms in front of him, mumbling something about the "wankers in the Ministry…" He couldn't look at Hermione. Instead, he stared ahead and focused on the wooden carvings on the table, wondering if they would ever win the war.


	3. Ministry of Magic

A/N – plot bunnies for this story are running rampant. I'm sorry if it's a bit slow at the beginning, but I promise smut to come!

Two days had passed since the decision was made that Sirius and Hermione would marry. Some biting, some yelling, some scratching and some howling all came into play over this traumatic ordeal – and that was just Sirius in his animagus form.

The way Sirius had acted was that he was lashing it out on Hermione, it was idiotic officials they now seemed to have in control over at the Ministry. It was that they had to be told what to do, how they were going to do it and who they were going to do it to. Unfortunately, since this new law was passed and the hour of midnight was approaching, Hermione was only a free woman for a limited time, as was Sirius. After that, Hermione was more or less a "marked" woman. She was extremely valuable, knowing the secrets she kept for the Order, as well as being born from two muggles, she was the only one in the Order that it applied to.

Until then, she had no other choice in order to remain safe and with her friends. She had to marry Sirius.

"Excuse me?"

Sirius rolled his eyes that he was going to have to say it again. He, Hermione, and Remus sat in a tiny square cubical on the fourth floor of the Ministry with someone who was governing the rules of the new law. When Sirius explained to him that it was he, who pledged to marry Hermione Granger, the short little fat man behind the desk nearly choked.

"But, you can't marry her. Sirius, you're a Black. If your mother was alive today-" the little man tried to interject.

"My mother is dead and has been for quite sometime. Now, if you don't mind," his tone of voice seemed exhausted and impatient. He didn't want to do this, but after much convincing from Harry and Remus, he knew there was no other choice. He had to give in.

"But, Sirius-"

"It's Mr. Black, if you don't mind." He corrected, leaning back in his chair next to his fiancé.

Hermione sat straight and tense, her back a perfect flat board, compared to Sirius's laid back relaxed attitude. Something in her stomach started to churn as she just pictured herself sitting there as if she was an inanimate object to be obtained. She remained quiet for the most part, afraid that someone in the office might recognize her voice, be an expert at Occlumency and figure them out. The very idea sickened her as she was told how "valuable a piece" she was, being that she graduated top in her class, was young enough to birth several magical children and extremely close to Harry Potter.

"You talk of my fiancé' like she's not here. I'd like it if you would address her as witch and not like a prize. Your very tone sickens me." Sirius added, looking over at Hermione who remained stiff and nauseous. He watched how her hands were perfectly folded in her lap, her ankles crossed and her foot fidgeting.

He couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl, with the state she had put herself in. True, the two didn't exactly get along that great in the past and they often bumped heads, but she was his godson's best friend and it meant the world to all of them that she would remain safe. Sirius had to look at it like a duty, rather than a chore. He was finally able to stick his neck out for the Order and this was something only he could do. His duty was to swear to protect her, at all costs. He was in no way thrilled at the idea that he was going to have to be celibate for the next unnumbered years, but it wasn't like he was going to be lonely, either. From now on, he was always going to have someone with him, someone else that loved Harry as much as him and knew the true meaning of friendship.

Hermione Granger was going to be his partner in this, and for the next several months or years he was going to have to just deal with it and keep her safe.

As she kept her back painfully straight, he noticed that she had taken to chewing on her lower lip from nerves. Something in Sirius started to pull and he unconsciously reached over to lay his hand over hers that were perfectly folded in her lap. Hermione glanced over at him and for the first time, saw a sincere and friendly face looking back at her. Though he remained tough, a strong poker face for the Ministry representative, he still seemed to allow a small trickle of kindness slip through and only, for whatever reason, Hermione saw it.

For a moment, Hermione forgot where she was, or shall we say why she was. She forgot that she was sitting in the Ministry's head offices and forgot that she was trying so hard at being convincing for any sets of eyes that might have been on them. She, instead, watched Sirius. She caught a slight hint of a grin begin to lift at the corner of his mouth, which brought out a small in her that she had tried so hard to keep contained. Once he saw her shoulders begin to relax, he couldn't help but give her a wink, assuring her that they were going to get through this.

"Sorry, Mr. Black." The rep corrected, fixing his suit jacket. "It just seems to be a bit sudden, wouldn't you say?"

The short, balding little man watched the two, hoping that they were lying. The secret memo had gotten out over the office that if anyone found Hermione Granger and handed her over to a Death Eater, they would be handsomely rewarded. She was a valuable pawn in this war and even the most selfish wizard was willing to obtain her. The second the law was proposed, several licenses were requested, but with no signature from Miss Granger. It was only now, when the short balding man was teased with the cheese, that the said muggleborn witch would walk into his cubicle and with another pureblood, honestly request a marriage license.

The little man felt his palms beginning to sweat, as if he had just retained something so valuable, all the galleons in the world might have been his. Instead, he feared the worst. She was not here as a free woman, she was here with the infamous Sirius Black. Allowing her to be married off to him would, indeed, weigh quite heavy on the Ministry reps that wanted her for others and the little short man was going to be the one responsible. From that moment on, he didn't want anything to do with the case, but unfortunately, it seemed that several other reps had taken their lunches, leaving him in the office, virtually alone.

"No, not sudden at all." Sirius lied, suddenly finding it difficult to take his eyes off of her. He couldn't help but admire how pretty she was when she was unsure about something. It was the innocent look on her face he couldn't help but grin about, as the darker thoughts of Sirius Black started to invade his imagination.

"Are you saying that you've been courting Miss Granger, since before she turned of age?" the man inquired, watching the way the "couple" looked at each other. He hoped that maybe this would get him and with a simple phone call, he would call the authorities that what they had done was morally wrong.

"No, I'm not saying that." He answered, finally tearing his eyes away from her and setting them on the Ministry rep.

"We fell in love right about the time he returned from the Veil." Hermione finally spoke and turned her attention to the little man. "I was well over seventeen then, so it wasn't wrong. I guess we just got caught up in the excitement."

"Miss Granger, are you prepared to become the wife of the most notorious Azkaban convict?" the man probed, hoping that his relationship wasn't legit.

"He's not a convict, so stop looking at him, like he is!" her raised voice filled the room, causing a few people to look over their cubicles at them.

The man started to fidget as three sets of eyes were on him, not to mention the many sets looking at the back of his head that worked in his office. He was doing what he could to call them on this, hoping to stall them as long as he could. They seemed like such an unlikely couple; she sat up straight and perfect, her chin raised and her hands politely folded in her lap, whereas Sirius shrunk in his chair, his legs open and his hair unkempt in that "I just got off my broom" look.

"Apologies, apologies, Miss Granger." His hands fumbled about the desk, searching for his pen. He thought of maybe stalling, hoping that another rep might walk by and asses the situation, but to no avail.

The man finally began the paperwork, dictating their story and asking questions as he went along. Knowing how valuable Hermione Granger was, his hand shook as he began filling out every line, carefully crafting his questions so that maybe something might leak out. Instead, they seemed to be honest and we rehearsed and before he knew it, he was left with asking remedial questions for them.

"Miss Granger, how old are you?" he asked, filling out her name in the space provided.

"Eighteen." She answered, glancing over to Sirius for those calming eyes.

"Mr. Black?"

"Thirty-nine." He answered, giving Hermione a light smile and squeezing her hand gently.

The little man continued to write on, finally taking his wand out of this pocket to enchant the quill to start dictating what he was going to explain to them. He sat back in his chair and observed Hermione and Sirius. With Remus watching the little fat man, he had missed all that had transpired between the two as he was too concerned with how shady the little man was being and waited for another snide remark to fly out in their direction.

"Upon your union, there will be several inspections to see that this pureblood and muggleborn marriage is legit. We will be making appointments with you, by owl when it would be a good time to visit you at your home."

"What?" the three replied, in nearly perfect unison.

There was no way the Ministry was going to be allowed to number twelve Grimmauld Place. The place was only allowed for Order members, no one else. The place was unplottable and therefore, would never be found anyway.

"We'll need to inspect your living quarters. With these new rules, we have to make sure that marriages, such as this one, are legit. Where is it you'll be living?" the little man asked, hoping that there wasn't going to be an answer for this, hence bringing an end to the charade they'd led so far.

Sirius looked at Hermione and then to Remus. He had a nervous look enough to give the whole game up, but Hermione prevailed, "We don't know, yet. We're currently flat hunting right now."

_Damn_, _so close_.

"Alright, fine," the little man answered with an exhausted tone. "And how soon are you planning on having children?"

Hermione's eyes widened, absolutely unprepared for that direct question. The very idea that she and Sirius would be-

"Right away." Sirius answered, turning his attention back to the fat little man. He raised an eyebrow, hoping to really jab it to the man that had, so far, given them a difficult time. Now it was his turn to talk his talk, live up to his charming legend, and hopefully, make the man so uncomfortable, he'll be happy to get them out of the office.

The rep didn't look up, but his little eyes started to peer over his half moon glasses at the couple. He watched Hermione, who wasn't the type to discuss anything of that matter with anyone public sitting next to Mr. Exhibitionist.

"We're actually, already trying. I know it's not particularly right to discuss this matter, but just let it be known that we're shagging like rabbits." Sirius smiled, his eyes darkening in a most sinister manner.

Hermione, on the other hand, started to shift in her seat, trying to avoid the matter of talk and stay on the point, "Sirius, darling, I think he gets the point."

Sirius could see the man fidget in his seat with uncertainty. Mr. Black came across quite abrupt with their personal life, had this been true and it appeared that he was quite passionate over particular details regarding his skills.

"-Sometimes four times a day." He rambled on, as if telling an elaborate tale of adventure and excitement.

Hermione glanced over at Remus, who had quietly found the whole situation quite humorous and hid his mouth behind his hand to stifle the chuckles. Sirius had never ceased to amaze and this was just another rare moment for them.

"Sirius, really, I don't think the man wants to hear it all." She sweetly interjected, placing a gentle hand on his arm, leaning in closer to whisper for him to shut up.

Sirius paused and watched how the man was getting quite uncomfortable with his lewd talk that he saw how grateful he was of Hermione stepping in and calming him down. With a satisfied smirk on his face that they had, indeed, been convincing, he leaned back in his seat, stretched out and crossed one ankle over the other.

The license for the two was finally granted, practically prying the fat man's chubby fingers off the piece of parchment when Hermione reached for it. There, in front of him, was his bonus, being whisked away by Harry Potter's godfather. It was too sad to even mention, but as soon as the paperwork fell on his supervisor's desk, there would be hell to pay. The word was that she had many suitors willing to take her hand, but it was too late.

The three were just rising to street level in the tiny phone elevator, as Hermione read over the license once again, reading all the fine print of the binding magical contract that she was about to sign. The extra papers attached to it explained the appointments at their residence, allotted time for their engagement after license was granted, and finally, the sole reason for the pureblood/muggleborn marriage, when they were planning on having children.

When they stepped out of the phone booth, Sirius holding the door open for the young girl, she asked, "How will they know we aren't trying for children?"

Remus smiled at his childhood friend, giving him a nod for his performance back there and answered, "They won't. Unless they're going to stand by your bedroom, which I doubt, so you shouldn't worry about."

"So, how long does it say before we tie the knot?" Sirius asked, taking his muggle sunglasses from his inner leather jacket pocket.

Hermione scanned the Engagement line carefully, stopping on the sidewalk to read it, "We have one week."

Sirius howled with excitement that he could be stupid for one whole week. He excused himself properly and apparated away to goodness knows where. Left standing there on the sidewalk was Hermione with a painful look on her face as she stared at the spot her fiancé had been standing, glancing over to Remus.

Remus smiled, comforting her from her thoughts, "It'll be okay, Hermione. It's not forever."

She closed her eyes and shook her head, "I hope not. He's a handful."


	4. Master and Commander

In the far corner of the kitchen, a quiet, melancholy Hermione leaned against the counter, sipping her wine. Her eyes scanned the entire room, as if searching for a secret trap door she could escape to. After exhausting every dark nook and cranny of that old kitchen, she tipped back the contents of her glass, finishing the last few drops. Setting her glass down and debating whether she should refill it, she saw Harry and Ron coming her way through the little crowd.

"How are you doing? Holding up?" Harry asked, reaching over and grabbing the wine bottle to refill her glass.

She just smiled and nodded. The idea that the two of them were rather concerned for her, made her feel warm. They always made her feel warm. Even after the poor attempt at a romantic relationship with Ron proved their friendship was stronger through tough times, and this was, indeed, a tough time.

The room filled with a gigantic deep bark of a laugh, erupting from Sirius who was telling a story to Remus and Shaklebot.

"I can see he's pretty torn up," Hermione chided, hiding her eyes behind her newly filled glass.

"He is. He's not very happy, actually. He's just acting like this to put up a front. Everyone knows it." Harry added, trying to convince her otherwise.

"Probably drink himself to death, during the time we're married. Great, I'm forced into a loveless marriage, sworn to be celibate only to result in becoming a widow." She sighed, practically growling.

The three shared a small laugh, smiling to one another, trying to make things feel normal again.

"You know, during the ceremony tonight, I swear I could hear women crying," Ron added, looking over at Sirius as if trying to pick up on some of his skills.

"Rather sad, actually." Harry added, "They were giving you really dirty looks as you two walked out of the Ministry together."

"Thanks, Harry. That makes me feel loads better!" she smiled, flashing him a deep grin.

No matter how bad things got, she knew that her dearest friends would help her see a lighter side of any situation.

A week into their marriage, Sirius and Hermione moved into a spacious three bedroom flat in Earl's Court. Sirius took the larger room, making it appear as the one they shared. Though Sirius was the sole resident of the room, they added a feminine looking dresser to make it appear that Hermione shared the room with him. She left some of her personal things in there and used the first guest room as her own. She wasn't able to put personal things up on the walls, other than standard décor; for it would give it away that she spent her time in there, more than the master bedroom. So, Hermione was satisfied with leaving her entire library in there, her night clothes and a few extra pairs of shoes.

Her main closet was going to have to be the second one in Sirius's room. If they were going to mask as a married couple, then most, if not all of Hermione's things were going to have to remain in that room, giving her complete permission to enter it whenever she needed. Respecting his privacy, she told him that she wouldn't enter the bedroom if the door was closed.

The week had passed and the two lived like roommates that barely talked. They seemed to not mind sharing the chores, but for the most part they avoided each other like the plague and really only talked whenever they went back to Grimmauld Place. Hermione would apparate there and Sirius usually rode his motorcycle. When it was time for them to leave, Sirius usually stayed behind, crashing at Grimmauld Place and or meeting a mate for a drink; mostly it was Harry he'd meet.

On a Wednesday night, Hermione received an owl informing them of their first inspection. Just as warned, the Ministry was assigning them an appointment for that Saturday, to meet them at their home to conduct an interview and inspect the flat. After that, they were good for another month.

Hermione offered the delivery owl a treat and folded the letter back in her hands. She padded down the hall in bare feet down to Sirius's bedroom to inform him of the letter. She saw that his door was open and peeked into his room. With a light on by his bedside, he was laying on top of the bedspread wearing a pair of linen pajama pants and no shirt. Her eyes immediately fell onto his chest, looking over the tattoos that he displayed and followed down his lean form where the pants sat low on his hips. His arms were bent, holding up the book he was reading and he didn't even see her.

She quietly cleared her throat and said, "Hey,"

He lowered his book down and gave her a content grin, as if he was just indifferent to her, but still trying to be well mannered. They never had a good history of getting along and it really felt like the tension was a little thick, living in such close proximity together.

But, regardless, he answered back, "Hey."

She lowered her eyes and stepped further into the room, walking around the side of the bed, "We got an owl tonight. It makes our appointment for Saturday." she handed him the letter before turning away, "I'll work on trying to make the living room look more lived in."

Sirius looked back at her leaving his room and added, "And I'll work on it in here, making it look like we shag like those rabbits,"

She giggled and glanced back at him, now with a huge grin on his lips, catching her off guard, "Good night, Sirius," she laughed and offered him a wave.

Sirius watched her leave and sighed to himself. This was going to be one hell of a challenge; especially if she kept walking around in her little yoga shorts barefoot. The bare feet was always a weakness for him, as it just screamed innocence.

Saturday had come and Hermione paced the living room about forty times, shaking out her hands as they cramped up on her. Sirius finally emerged from the bedroom, wearing worn out jeans and a buttoned up shirt with the top three buttons undone. His cuffs were loose and he rolled them half way up his forearm.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair, fixing it the way he liked, and saw Hermione in her neurotic state, "Hermione, stop," he said, rushing to her and putting both of his hands on her upper arms, "Calm down, love."

Her eyes got big as he broke up her grueling cycle, secretly pleased he gave enough of a damn about it for her not to give it away so early in the game.

"We're going to be fine. Don't worry so much."

"I can't help it. I'm just worried that they're going to see right through us." She whispered closely to him, in case the walls had ears.

"Shhh, they won't. Now, come here, they'll be here any minute." And with minimal effort, he pulled her into a hug, wrapping his strong arms around her.

Hermione took a calming deep breath and tried to relax. She felt his hands gently stroke her back and she had to admit he had a way of making her feel better. Just as she was breathing in the exotic scent of his cologne and committing it to memory, she heard a crisp "pop" near them and they broke apart; Sirius leaving a hand on her back.

The same man that had given them their marriage license now stood before them in the middle of their living room, straightening his coat and taking out his pen.

"Hello, Mr. Shortbook. It's nice to see you, again." Hermione feigned sweet, extending her hand out to the short balding Ministry representative.

"Mrs. Black, Mr. Black." He emphasized the "Mr." part loud enough for Sirius to hear it. "Shall we begin?"

Sirius ushered Hermione to the couch, allowing her to sit down first and with him sitting right behind her. Seeing that her shoulders were, again, quite tense, he casually draped an arm around the back of the couch, allowing a few fingers to lightly graze her shoulder. Hermione glanced back at him quickly, flashing him a small smile, appreciating his concern. Though, he may only have been acting for the Ministry Rep, it seemed to do her quite a bit of good to know that he was directly behind her.

The short man cleared his throat and started to scribble things down as he watched Hermione fidget with her skirt, "Nervous, are we?"

Before she could answer, Sirius chimed in, "She is a little. She's absolutely neurotic about housecleaning and I know that she's thinking about something she didn't get to. Isn't that right, love?"

Hermione nodded and played along, "Yes, I just remembered that I forgot to dust off that bookshelf." And to add to the theatrics, she pointed to the one on the far wall across from them.

Mr. Shortbook started to ask them some questions, carefully studying them and their answers. He watched how often Hermione would glance back at him, receiving a gentle pat on the arm or leg for support. The two seemed to be convincing enough, but there was still something not right about their situation. Finally, as the questions ended, Mr. Shortbook excused himself to start inspecting the flat. He left the two sitting there to whisper to each other, suspecting that Mr. Shortbook was probably going through their most intimate possessions.

After about ten minutes, Sirius looked back down the hallway to see if he could see the short balding man walking back into the living room, but he seemed to still be preoccupied. Sirius furrowed his brow, not quite sure what was taking so long when he started to tap Hermione's wrist.

He kept looking back towards the bedrooms when he whispered, "You don't have anything that vibrates in your room do you?"

Hermione was silent for a few minutes, not sure what he was getting at….then it hit her, "SIRIUS BLACK? How dare you ask me that question!" she yelled in a stage whisper.

"I was only asking. He's taking forever in the guest room, your room! Just made me wonder, that's all." He added, still looking behind him to see if Mr. Shortbook was coming back in.

"Well, well…well, it's none of your business if I did!" she ferociously whispered, again.

He snapped his head back so fast it might have flipped off, "It most certainly is my business to know. What if he finds that thing in there and starts doubting my ability!"

"Your ability? I'm risking the idea of being discovered and then being pawned off to a Death Eater! I don't think the matter of your skills and ability is really that important right now!"

"It is so! It's only going to be convincing if I can satisfy my own wife!"

"That's not the only thing we're trying to prove!" she huffed back at him, ready to slap that look of concern right off his handsome chiseled face. "Besides, I don't have one of those things anyway!"

"Well, everything looks in order." Mr. Shortbook said, entering the room and finishing up the last of his notes into a small book.

Immediately, Sirius's hand returned to Hermione's shoulder as if it had just casually fallen off. Mr. Shortbook started his good-byes and asked a few last questions before apparating out of their living room.

Sirius and Hermione stood up, eagerly awaiting his departure.

Mr. Shortbook flipped a few more pages into his book and calmly asked, "And how goes the copulation?"

"The what?" Sirius asked, taken aback by the form of the key question.

Hermione quickly recovered and added, "Fine. We're just fine." She cleared her throat, waiting for Sirius to get the picture.

The crude scientific word had rendered Sirius speechless and immediately shook his head to regain his thoughts. He stepped closer to Hermione and wrapped his hands around her tiny waist. "Yes, we're brilliant, actually." Sirius started to nuzzle Hermione's ear with his nose, "We're just like-"

"Rabbits, yes, I know, Mr. Black." The man said, leaving a disgusted taste on his face and fixing his tie. He hadn't been there for nearly twenty minutes and already Sirius was making him feel uncomfortable.

Hermione had completely stilled, once she felt the sensual touching Sirius had started, and realized that she wasn't pretending her reaction. As he started to whisper things into her ear, trying to make it seem more convincing to Mr. Shortbook, Hermione found that her tolerance for it wasn't very strong. She actually found herself beginning to believe his gentle seduction and, for a moment, lost herself in him. His course cheek swept past her neck and her eyes started to grow heavy with his spell. She felt herself leaning back into his embrace, allowing a hand to reach up and gently squeeze his arm that was protectively wrapped around her.

The short balding man cleared his throat and excused himself so as not to overstay his welcome. Within a few seconds, he was gone with a "pop" and the two were left to themselves.

Once the man was gone, Sirius quickly dropped the act, releasing a sigh of relief. The heavy sound from his throat was enough to shake Hermione out of her trance and turned around to face him.

She stared at him for a few minutes, watching the way he casually fixed his hair in the mirror and flattened his shirt. Like a true player, he had already forgotten what he had done and saw it as nothing but a chore.

A few heavy huffed moments went by, before she finally yelled at him, "What the hell was that?"

"What was what?" he asked, running his hands though his thick silky hair, thankful it was over.

"That! What you were just doing to me. You had no right to do that!"

He stopped his primping and turned around to face her, astonished that she was acting so brash. He was doing a job. He was protecting her. He felt the need to push the envelope further, so he did. Mr. Shortbook seeing any displays of affection wouldn't have hurt anything, it would have helped it.

"No right?" he raised his voice, laughing almost, "Hermione, I was selling it to him!"

She shook her head, furious with him. She was not just another girl that was going to always see the charmer, she was real. "No, you weren't! You were coming onto me, just then. That was real."

"No, it wasn't." he chuckled, not believing they were actually challenging this. "That meant nothing to me, just then. Don't worry. You're precious virtue is still safe while I'm around," he mocked, shaking his head as he walked past her.

Her breath escaped her with the very tone of his voice and the way he said it to her. Nothing he had just done meant anything, and it was so easy for him to do. He just regarded her as prop in this show and he was the player. Someone like her would never be enough to satisfy Sirius Black, she knew that. But, it wasn't fair for him to use her like she was just an object. True, he was doing her a huge favor, but it gave no right to him to just play with her like that.

"Besides," he breathed by her ear, returning to his position directly behind her. She tensed up and spun around to meet his dark, cruel eyes, "You'll know when I'm trying to seduce you."

There was no humor in his statement and it certainly wasn't intended to be funny. She just locked eyes with him and stared him down for what seemed liked hours and she just whispered, "I know better than to give into your cheap charm, Sirius Black. You're not all that you think you are."

He lifted a corner of his mouth to show a mean satisfied smirk, "Just as well for you to think that, then." He ran his eyes over her, "You're not my type, anyway."

The tension in the room was so thick, if she could hex him, she would have. But, the powers of the Ministry had forbidden married couples to ever hex one another until divorce proceedings were finalized. After that, it was free game. For now, Hermione had to take it, take his cruel streak, accept this way of life, or living hell. They were both bonded to each other and it was already proving to be an ill start to the arrangement.

Hermione, who was about to explode, pushed past him

She slammed her bedroom door behind her and turned fast to press her back against the hard surface. Feeling weak and empty, like the air had left her lungs, she slid down the door. She wished there had been another way to deal with this new law, she wished that it wasn't Sirius she was committed to, she wished she slapped his face so hard it would have left a red mark for three weeks.

She buried her head in her knees as they pressed up against her chest, beginning to lightly sob. She may not have had the right to yell at him the way she did, but he deserved it. As their argument replayed in her head, she started to get angrier and angrier. It wasn't entirely him she was mad at, though he made it so easy; it was really herself she was yelling at.

She mentally argued with herself, trying to see it another way, but it all concluded to the same thing. The way he held her, made her feel safe, the way he looked at her, made her feel confident, the way he talked to her, made her want to kill him. Regardless, it was inevitable. She now had something in common with the women that were crying at their ceremony. She, too, was starting to fall for Sirius Black's charms.


	5. The Perfect Match

A/N: Hello fellow Sirius/Hermione shippers. Pleased to know that so many of you are enjoying this story. The more comments I get on it, the more it encourages me to continue this quickly. I've added some "fluff"cringe just to satisfy a few of you. I, personally, don'tcare for"bow tie perfect" fluff, but thought a little wouldn't hurt too much.Those that have "constructive" comments, thank you as well. However, for those that are missing some details that you call me on, you might want to think about what you're saying, before you type it.

Just to clear a couple of things up, in case it's not clear enough for everyone: Hermione is the only one that this law effects. She is the only eligible muggleborn that we know of in the Order. If I'm wrong, let me know. Tonks is excluded from the law, because her mother was a witch. I'm not sure exactly if Remus is a pureblood, but threw in the "tainted" blood comment to save that. Also, Ron can't marry Hermione, because as stated in the first chapter, he was back with Lavender and she "won't let him go".

I've been dabbling in some photo manips for the couple in general and you can view them on my website (my LJ) for the last 5 entries or so.

Also, this chapter, I'm not too proud of. It doesn't read too well for me, but I wanted to post something to keep it active and not allow myself to put it down for another MONTH before I pick it up again ;)

Enjoy!

Chapter 5

For the next few days, Hermione tried to avoid Sirius as much as she could. She managed to get up and out of the flat before he even rose for the day and quietly snuck back in, if she saw his motorcycle parked outside. For the most part, she was lucky, for he had stayed out late those few nights they weren't talking and it gave Hermione some time in her own flat to relax and make a quick dinner for herself.

By the fourth night that Sirius was staying out late, probably at a pub or cruising around on his motorcycle gawking at the women he wasn't allowed to have, Hermione found herself in her little kitchen, cleaning some dishes after making dinner. She'd gone to the grocery on her way home from work and picked up a few things to make. She realized that she had more than enough chicken to make the casserole, so she decided that she would wrap the leftovers up and leave it for Sirius to eat for lunch.

_Leaving him dinner._

Hermione froze in mid thought, her hands still clutching the muggle Ziploc containers. She stared down upon them, as if they represented the single epiphany of this entire situation. Instead, she realized it wasn't as drastic as that, but instead her maternal instinct had kicked in already was starting to think of Sirius's well-being.

She smiled to herself, shaking her head out of her funk. He had won – this time.

The front door to their flat slammed shut and she heard Sirius come in and drop his keys on the coffee table, like he always did. It bugged the hell out of Hermione to hear the keys drop on the glass so casually; she was petrified that the beautiful table would get scratched. It was her grandmother's and she really didn't want to fix anything with magic that was originally muggle made. Just an heirloom that should get a little beaten up, but not intentionally if one can help it. It just meant a lot to her to preserve at least one thing, without having to use magic, if she could help it.

Hermione felt her insides begin to churn as the fleeting idea came to mind that Sirius's unexpected early return might provoke them into talking for the first time in four days. She was worried about what she might say, or worse, what they didn't and if they went ahead and said nothing at all. What if she didn't and he thought she was just being rude?

"Hello," he cooed, interested in what Hermione was cooking as he walked into the kitchen and over to the refrigerator. "What are you making?"

She opened her mouth, but hesitated to say anything when he casually brushed up against her to get to the ice box. She set down the containers she was still holding, ready to finish up her preparations.

"I made a chicken casserole and I'm going to leave the leftovers in the fridge for you to have for lunch tomorrow." She replied with an air in her voice that indicated she wasn't concerned.

"Thanks," he said, a bit taken aback, but opened his beer without batting an eyelash. He passed her again, brushing up against her like the way he did before, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder in order to pass her. "Oh, by the way," he added, turning at the doorway, "Are you trying to avoid me by any chance?"

Hermione accidentally dropped the empty container and spun around to answer quickly, "No! Why would you think that?"

He smiled, "I was worried that I made you nervous the other night. Thought about it later, and thought I may have come on too strong for you."

She played it off well as she shook her head and calmly picked up her discarded container from the floor.

"Good," he nodded, turning to go into the living room "I just wanted to know my boundaries, before I break past them."

She stood back up and watched how he arrogantly sashayed to the couch to watch television. Still clutching her containers, she slowly turned to go back to her casserole, trying not to think what he truly was capable of.

The following Friday night, Hermione came home to the flat and gently placed her keys on the coffee table, next to Sirius's pair. Maybe her quiet example would be noticed and would cease slamming the keys down. She started to make her way to her bedroom at the end of the hall, when Sirius jumped out of his to get her attention.

Hermione screamed and clutched her heart, "Don't do that! You could have been anyone!"

"Sorry, love, hey, did you get my owl in time?" he asked, pulling on his leather jacket and looking anxious.

She shook her head, trying to catch her breath from her start.

"Well, damn, go change." Sirius winked and pushed past her to go to the mirror in the living room by the front door. He started to fix his unruly, unkempt, perfect hair and watched her through the mirror, "Harry managed to get tickets for the quidditch match against the Cannons tonight and he wants us all to go." He spun around and faced her again, just standing there. "You're so concerned people are going to figure it out, so it'll be good to go out somewhere public together."

She hadn't answered him yet, but she was secretly elated with the idea of attending a quidditch match with her friends. It had been almost a year since she'd gone to a match and the idea was refreshing to hear. The only thing that still weighed heavy on her was the fact that she had to keep up the façade and might not be able to enjoy herself.

No matter, she and Sirius had proved enough so far, what's a night out amongst friends? It'll be good to get out and get this whole "war" out of their minds for a little while. The air was thick enough, having to worry about who might sneak up behind you to hex you, attack you, hurt you…and that was just at home!

Hermione emerged from her bedroom ten minutes later, refreshed, and excited and now wearing jeans and a white t-shirt. She had her jean jacket in her arms and she was tying her hair back up in a pony tail and mumbling under her breath. Sirius waited by the front door, arms crossed and watched as she fought with her hair. He couldn't help but grin as he heard her swear under her breath about how unruly her hair was.

_Never satisfied._

He held out his hand for her to take hold of it, after she had surrendered to a messy pony tail and apparated them both to the Three Broomsticks where the quidditch portkey was placed. The two "popped" into Hogsmeade in the middle of several quidditch hooligans with green and white painted faces pushing past them to get into the pub.

Hermione went to drop her hand from Sirius's grip once they arrived and was nearly pulled away by the undertow of the crowd. She had shoulders pushing up against her, causing her to nearly lose her balance and track of where Sirius was standing. She stood still for a moment, allowing about fifteen hooligans to pass in front her, and then dodged out of the way so she wouldn't get trampled. Through the grunts and chants, she heard Sirius's voice bellowing over them like an angry bull.

"Move!" he shouted, shoving a few hooligans that had forced their way past him. Even though they were quite larger in size then he was, it didn't stop Sirius any. His slender build plowed through the people, ready to pick a fight with anyone that stopped him. The fact that everyone just seemed to be focused on getting to the match seemed to be his saving grace. With Hermione back in his sightlines, he kept yelling and finally was able to reach out a hand to her.

Pushing himself to her, he stood close by holding her hand and keeping an arm around her to keep her safe.

"Are you okay?" he asked, noticing the relieved look she gave him.

"Yes, thank you. That was the worst place to apparate in!" she recovered, thankful he stood taller than her and was able to keep an eye out for more herding hooligans.

"Well, you know me," he grinned, nodding his head and looking around the crowd for familiar faces, "I always like to be in the middle of the action."

"I hadn't forgotten." She nervously chuckled, quite overwhelmed with the crowd in such close quarters.

The past matches she attended usually had a portkey much further away than the middle of Hogsmeade, so this was all new to Hermione. Sensing her uneasiness, Sirius moved the two of them out of the middle of the street, keeping her close and feeling her wrap and arm around his waist as they maneuvered their way through the people. They managed to make their way to a spot against the wall of Honey Dukes and waited as they scanned the crowd.

"I think it's best if you just held onto me. At least until we take our spots, safely, at the match." He reassured, patting her shoulder with the hand that was draped around her. "Unless, of course, you think I'm seducing you."

She looked away, keeping her lip stiff, not wanting to get into an argument. He was taking the piss out of her and she wasn't going to let him win. Although, the way it so casually rolled off his tongue dripping with the sweet sarcasm he performed so well, she couldn't help but fight the small grin that was beginning to tease her lips.

"Because, there's nothing more sensual then sweaty hooligans outside a pub at a quidditch match." He continued, seeing that she was trying to avoid him and not show that she was about to crack. "All the sweaty burly men, the smell of spilled butterbeer in the air, drunks relieving themselves in the corners-"

"Sirius! That's enough. I get it." He recited everything as it were some morbid nursery rhyme and couldn't help but giggle, at least, a little.

He smiled down at her, finally meeting her eyes and enjoying the friendly sound, "You need to do that more around me."

"What's that?" she smiled friendly.

"Laugh." He sweetly added, tilting his head to the side to get the fallen wisps out of his eyes.

"Mommy is that Sirius Black?" a child asked, clutching onto his mother's hand.

Their sincere moment was broken by the curiosity and when Sirius averted his attention to the little boy just in time to see the mother's eyes widened and scurry the boy off, not allowing him to look back. As Hermione followed his gaze, he saw two girls in their early twenties hear the little boy's inquiry and look over in their direction.

Sirius was still looking back at the little boy, sadden that the mother still had a poor opinion of him, that he never saw the two girls gawking at him. They smiled their flirtatious smiles and flipped their hair over their shoulders, ready for him to look back at them. Hermione looked on obviously appearing invisible to the women, since they hadn't noticed Sirius's arm draped around _her_ shoulder. Fake marriage or not, she was not about to let a couple of girls ruin her cover! She looked up at Sirius who was now scanning the crowd for any sign of Remus, Harry or whoever and totally missed the two young women vying for his attention.

All Hermione could hear were the subtle hisses and giggles women make when trying to get a guy's attention when not impressed with the woman he was with. Was she jealous? Not really thinking it out, she reached her arm over and snaked it around his waist to claim him.

Sirius didn't even blink and eye and continued to look amongst the new hooligans that were vastly approaching the small area. Instead, he reached his other arm up, and as if it were mechanical when a woman, any woman, did that to him, that he should embrace them back. Without even realizing it, Hermione was taking in the alluring scent of Sirius's cologne and they were wrapped around each other like a proper couple.

_Eat your heart out, ladies…and be sure to tell the Ministry while you're at it._

The two must have been a sight, for when she noticed Harry and Ron coming through the crowd she saw Harry stop in his tracks for a couple of seconds, before walking again. Ron raised an eyebrow as they approached and hit Harry on the arm, to see if noticed it.

Hermione's face lightened up when she saw Harry and Ron coming, with Fred, George, Ginny and Remus behind them. She broke away from Sirius and went to her friends for hugs. Through the crowded haze of hooligans, it was refreshing to see familiar, friendly faces even though all the boys had face paint on.

The group made their greetings and Sirius ushered everyone into the pub for a "before quidditch pint" tradition he insisted on starting at that very moment. The Three Broomsticks was pretty crowded, but nowhere near as crowded as to be expected with the amount of fans coming in through the door. Most of them had gone right to the portkey that was a pool table in the back of the pub, leaving a few spare tables available.

Halfway through their pints, the girls excused themselves to the ladies room to freshen up. After using the loo, Ginny and Hermione gossiped a little on what they knew, making small talk as they reapplied their lipstick. Near a stall, one of the two girls that were outside was waiting for her friend that must have been in the stall she was guarding. She gave Hermione a proper "once over", glaring at her through the mirror acting the perfect Slytherin role.

_How immature._

"So, if you're his type," the girl provoked, slightly tilting her head to look down at what appeared to be a boring girl, "what is it you've got that keeps him with you?"

Hermione closed her eyes for a moment, hating female confrontation like this and just simply turned around to face her. She thought for a moment, admitting that the bitchy girl was quite pretty compared to what Hermione thought of herself and just grinned. She held out her left hand, wiggled her fingers and politely answered, "I've got his ring."

Ginny, who barely noticed the girl sizing them up, couldn't help but let out a great laugh that just said, "So, mind your own business, bitches," and followed Hermione, and her shiny silver wedding ring, out the door and back to the guys.

Without saying a word, Hermione felt an incredibly powerful sensation that she hadn't felt since the day she punched Draco in the face. Something in her desperately needed to be released and whether it was intended to be taken out on that girl, was beyond her and at that moment, she just felt relieved. She'd always hated girls like that, and hated ever crossing paths with them. She'd always been the one left behind, or looked over and for the first time in her life; she had bragging rights to something they couldn't have – even if she technically didn't have it herself. What they didn't know couldn't hurt her. Quite taken with herself, she giggled a little as she passed Remus and Sirius standing by the bar, ordering more drinks.

When Hermione and Ginny excused themselves to go to the loo, Remus accompanied Sirius to the bar to get a little alone time with his friend as Ron started to make bets with his brothers over the anticipated winning score.

Remus came up behind Sirius, patting him on the back of his rough leather jacket and asked, "Everything okay? You've not killed each other yet?"

Sirius leaned on his elbows to better look down the bar and see what Madam Rosmerta was wearing that day. He grinned from the corner of his mouth, shaking his head slightly as he admitted to himself that she was always going to be his first crush.

Ever since the day he could first see over the counter, he always remembered the young girl, now woman, always winking at him and telling him he was going to be a looker when he grew up. _How did she know this truth? _

"No, not yet. I'm fine. I make her mad from time to time, but it's to be expected." He added, winking at Rosmerta as she took his money for another round.

"Why am I not surprised?" Remus smiled, watching his pathetic friend pining for the barmaid.

Sirius's attentions caught his left side as he saw the two very pretty girls going towards the ladies room. He watched the way their skirts floated around their thighs, teasing him with soft milky flesh. He nudged Remus to check the women out, trying to restrain a howl that might stir their attention, so instead just let out an exaggerated pant.

Remus quickly nudged him back, averting his attention to something else, "Sirius, control yourself mate."

Sirius snapped his neck back at his friend, who never used to tell him to calm down. Before Tonks, Sirius was always able to hook a pretty girl with a pretty friend. What had come over him was beyond his thinking.

"Don't act surprised, you know you can't do that anymore." Remus explained, quietly concerned for his friend's behavior. He glanced around to make sure no one had seen him oogling the women.

"What? It's fine. I'm not going to touch them, Remus." He looked up at Rosmerta for a moment as she put down a few pints before the men, "Unless, Rosmerta will finally let me have a go?" he baited, flashing a dashing smile her way.

"Find me, when you're older, Sirius." She joked, as it seemed to be the running gag she always had with him. "Besides, you've got that pretty young wife now that probably wouldn't leave much for me, anyway." She gave him his change back and left him with a wink.

"But, someone might be watching. Plus, what if Hermione came out and saw you doing that? I'm sorry, mate, but you've got to adjust a little bit better." Remus added, warning his friend like a misbehaved puppy.

"Oh, lay off, Remus. It's been at least three weeks since I've had a good shag; you can't blame me for just lookin. I'm not hurting anyone. Besides," he added offering a smile to Hermione as she walked past them from the bathroom, "She doesn't even pay attention to me enough to worry about it."

"Fine, but for the sake of this mission, please try and behave yourself. You two aren't convincing anyone if you're off hitting on women." Remus added, taking out his wand to levitate the pints back to the table.

Sirius glowered at his friend and then quickly added, "What about you? If I get hard up enough, would you give me a good wank?"

Remus immediately broke into laughter, nearly dropping the pints on Harry's lap as he lost his concentration, "No, Sirius. I'm not getting a mile of that thing."

They all finished their drinks and made their way to the match, via the portkey pool table. They ended up in a vacant field next to the quidditch pitch, where "pops" were heard all around them as people arrived for the match. The small crew started to head for the big open dome, following several other spectators that had broken into a jog next to them eager to get to their spots. Hermione looked around for Sirius, hoping to at least stand near them, should anyone see them. They were there for a good time, but they were also there in case anyone recognized them. Should anyone from the papers, the Ministry, or any Death Eaters in disguise see them, they had to be believable.

She caught up with Sirius, who was casually walking down the side of the hill next to Harry with his hands in his jeans pockets. He looked over at her and asked her if she was alright.

"I'm fine. Just still nervous," she added, trying to sound more confident then she really was.

Sirius stopped and told Harry and the rest to go ahead of them. He wanted a few moments with Hermione alone, before they ventured out into their first official outing together. As the others went ahead, he put his hands on Hermione's shoulders and forced her to face him. She dropped her eyes to a few people behind him that were walking past and heard him sigh.

"Hermione, we're going to do fine. I understand how you must feel, because you've got so much riding on this. I can't begin to think how I'd feel if this didn't work." He dropped his hands from her shoulders and she looked up at him, her eyes full of doubt. "I won't lie to you and say this is easy, because I've got plenty of issues about it, too."

"No, kidding." She interjected, almost chuckling sarcastically under her voice.

"You're not going to make this easy on me, are you?" he smiled, "You play the role of the concerned, sarcastic wife rather well." He raised an eyebrow for her, when she averted her eyes from his, "You mean a lot to Harry and it means a lot to me that I was able to do this; something meaningful for the sake of the Order."

A moment passed between them where she felt like she needed to say something sincere, since it sound a little like he was fishing. She looked back up at him, offering him a friendly grin and raised her hand to gently place it on his chest, "Sirius, you've done a lot-"

"You know what I mean." He looked away to focus on someone making a funny noise as he jogged by and then returned his attention back to her. Just like a child of A.D.D., he quickly changed interests and then back to her, "The good thing about it is if we get in a fight, you're not going to throw me into an empty dark void."

Hermione looked up at him through hidden eyes as her bangs fell into her face from the breeze around her; she did what she could to stifle a giggle. True, it wasn't something to take in fun, but she couldn't help but feel a warm sensation that he was trying to be nice. Throw all his arrogance aside, the fact that he was extremely stubborn, unwrap the packaging and you might find someone you wouldn't guess was hiding under that rough exterior with dark eyes, straight silky black hair, a constant five o'clock stubble and the aroma of leather.

"I'm sorry for the way I made you feel the other day. It just felt right to do, for that moment." He finished, glancing down at the hand she still held against his chest.

"No, it was fine." She replied, shaking her head and quickly removing her hand that had overstayed its position. "I just overreacted because I'd never expect that coming from you. Well, I would, but not coming from you coming on me," she stopped, biting her lip and putting her hand up to cover her face extremely embarrassed for her slip. Sirius didn't say anything, but grin and wait to listen how she was going to get herself out of her moment, "I mean coming onto me."

He let out a low chuckle and kindly offered her hand to take hold of it, initiating the role playing for the night. She watched his hand outstretch for her and with a deep breath she took his hand in hers, and quietly, but graciously accepted.

The first couple of steps down the hill, Sirius glanced over and commented, "You see me as your best friend's godfather, don't you? I bet that weirds you out."

She kept her focus on the bumpy terrain in front of her and replied, "No, I don't actually see you like that, at all."

She couldn't help but laugh at the situation that the two of them were finding the time to talk about this now, of all times, right before they went to a quidditch match with their friends. It must have been the quick pace of the evening that threw them both off a little. That and the fact that they'd already had a couple of drinks and were on more comfortable speaking terms.

"Then how, pray tell, does Hermione Granger see me? I'm curious." He nearly sung, his voice sounding as lyrical as an old rhyme.

"It's Hermione Black!" she joked, definitely feeling the effects of the pints she had before they arrived. "And I just think of you as a friend of Harry's, not really his godfather, per say."

Sirius just nodded; pleased with himself that he had achieved the image he'd wanted in the eyes of Harry and his friends. He never saw himself as much of a father figure until he was dubbed a godfather and James was no longer living. The moment he laid eyes on Harry that night on Privet Drive in his animagus form, he knew that once the truth was out he was going to do all he could to make up for lost time. He, alone, would be the tie to Harry's real father for him and somewhere inside of him, in a place he never visited much, he found something called responsibility.

Funny as fate would have it, he thought to himself, that years later when the Order was formed once again, he found himself putting his life on the line for a friend of Harry's. For the sole reason his family shamed him, being a bigoted pureblood, Sirius used his bloodline to protect one of his own. Sure he never thought that he'd be married to someone twenty years his junior, but then again, he never thought he'd live this long to see the rays of forty vastly approaching. As he felt the other's palm in his hand, he looked over at the young girl, his wife by paper only, and how much she meant to so many. She was kind, pretty, smart, and most importantly, special his godson. For her to not be in his life would tear him apart, and he knew now, how proud he was allowed to be to take on this role.

Lost in his thoughts, he almost forgot that they were still holding a conversation and heard Hermione say, "You're more like," she hesitated, smiling so much that her cheeks warmed with embarrassment, "No, never mind."

He pushed her a bit further with subtle questions of what she actually saw him as, playfully pushing her to walk funny as he veered into her path.

She shook her head, knowing that she was going to regret mentioning this, but she didn't care as the light headed sensation filled her senses, "You're more like the," she hesitated again, but finished anyway, biting her lip, "like the handsome uncle."

"Really?" he inquired, lifting his chin and feeling quite pleased with himself. Adding to the character, Sirius playfully took on a more arrogant walk for Hermione, making sure she caught him strutting next to her, giving her hand a light squeeze.

She rolled her eyes at him, wishing that she hadn't opened her mouth. "Yes," she confirmed, "Ginny thinks so, as well." She knew Ginny would kill her if she found out she let it slip about the gossip that they used to have all those years growing up while staying at Grimmauld Place, but there were many nights spent up late, using the Extendable Ears to listen down in the kitchen when Sirius, Remus and Tonks got together for a few drinks.

"Really, Ginny thinks so?" Sirius made a face like he was thinking of the possibilities, but then added, "Hmm, no, she's too close to being related to me. I couldn't do that."

Hermione let out a sweet, flirtatious laugh that she didn't know she was capable of and glanced down at their adjoining hands, "You couldn't do that? Listen to you. Like she was an option?"

"Right, right, the Harry thing." He teased.

The two were beginning to near the front of the dome and saw the group waiting for them up ahead. He gently squeezed her hand and asked, "So, you really think that?"

"Well, I used to," she casually answered, waving to the group ahead, "But, now I'm married to you and I can't think that way, anymore."

Sirius let out an infectious bark of laughter, quite pleased that Hermione had finally started to come around again, ready to throw him the sarcasm he deserved. However, with this new chip on his shoulder, he was sure to rub it in now and then, on more sober days at the flat.

The match was incredibly exciting and by the end of it, and several pints later, Hermione had taken some of Harry's face paint off and put some markings on herself to show her new pride. She yelled over Fred and George when they made their cat calls to the apposing seeker, hoping to distract him, as well as joining in the chants with Sirius and Harry whenever they drunkenly erupted into song. The masking couple played their parts rather well, too. Several times, Sirius would put his arm around her, nuzzling her ear occasionally or just hold her hand. Now that he knew this valuable information, he was going to use it against her, not Ginny, just her and see how far he could push her, without upsetting her. For the time being, and as long as Hermione consumed the copious amounts of alcohol, he was able to get away with practically anything, but he knew better.

After the match, the crew made their way back up to the portkey to go back to the Three Broomsticks. They walked straight across, creating a wall for others to pass them by and sang the final notes of the last chant. Between obnoxious calls and cries, Hermione swapped places with Ginny and took hold of Sirius's hand when she saw someone she remembered from the Ministry office the day they got their license.

"And you two! I thought I was going to retch a few times with the show you were giving." Harry yelled, pushing into Sirius along the way, causing him to lose his footing.

Remus chuckled lightly, upon hearing Harry's whining. He had taken a mental note to the pair and wondered if their display was discussed beforehand, since it appeared to be so natural between them. Since the proposal was made that he was going to have to marry Hermione, he did nothing but complain, then bitch about her, to finally resigning to the new lifestyle. Aside from the hand holding and the arm around the shoulders, they were extremely mild and tame for a couple that supposedly had just gotten married three weeks earlier. "I think it's just exaggerated to you, Harry, because of who they are."

"Yeah! Grow up!" Sirius barked, playfully pushing Harry away and running a hand through his godson's extremely untidy hair. The sweet irony of his words caused a light tickle of snickers across the line of friends, quietly erupting into a much stronger fit of giggles. Never, in all their days knowing the rebellious Sirius Black, would they expect him to tease Harry about being mature.

They returned to the pub and a few stronger ones stayed behind to have one more pint, before calling it a night. Hermione politely excused herself, stifling a yawn that overcame her after glancing at the clock on the wall. She feared also, that after one more pint she was sure to really feel the effects in the morning and last she checked, didn't have more special hang over medicine in her bathroom cabinet. She said good-bye and made her way, alone, to the front doors to apparate outside.

"Sirius, you're staying for another, right?" Ron asked, already making his way to the bar to flirt with Madam Rosmerta.

Sirius watched Hermione leaving out the door of the pub, ducking under the shrunken heads that hung over the doorway. He glanced at the clock, wondering if one more pint would alright. He mulled it over for a few seconds before finally grinning to himself that he should just go home.

_Yes, go home._

"No, I'm actually going to go ahead and go home, too. Just going to make sure she gets back alright." Sirius called back, already halfway out the door, bumping the shrunken heads with his shoulder, "Rain check, mate." And before any of them could close their mouths that now hung open like fish, he was out in a flash and catching up to Hermione who was standing alongside the same wall they waited by before the quidditch match.


	6. Behind unClosed Doors

A/N: I know..I know, calm down. I updated TWICE in one week. Actually, three times in one week, because I updated RETURNED as well. Keep those reviews coming, because THEY really keep me interested and inspired.

This chapter is rated PG13 for mature situations. However, if you're reading Mature, then you already know about the subject matter.

Enjoy! Sirius did ;)

Chapter 6

Sirius called out to Hermione as he jogged to catch up with her. She was just closing her eyes to apparate when she jolted at the sound of his voice calling her. He reached out his hand to place it casually on her shoulder to apparate alongside of her

"You're not staying with them?" she asked him, surprised he was turning it down.

He shook his head, pushing his dark locks from his face, "No, I'd rather just go home tonight."

She slowly nodded, closed her eyes and apparated them both back into their living room. As they arrived, Sirius let go of her arm and started to shrug off his leather jacket, tossing it on the back of the couch.

It took Hermione a few seconds to realize that the spinning from the transport was done, and the room was, infact, the only thing spinning in her head. She focused on Sirius who had just tossed his jacket away and then flashed him a small grin, not sure what to say next.

Feeling a little awkward, she bowed her head and softly pushed past him, "Good night,"

Sirius watched her leave him, standing there staring at the empty space she had just vacated. He wasn't sure what or how to say anything, but he had maybe hoped they would have talked a little, at least, before they went to bed. Maybe, for her peace of mind, go over what they'd done tonight and if it would be appropriate at other gatherings to be so…affectionate. Instead, she left him there in his thoughts, wondering what was next.

Before she was entirely out of his grasp, he swiftly reached out to grab her hand and turned around to see her stop and look up at him with curious eyes. Not thinking of what exactly he should say considering that _Sirius Black_ just reached out and grabbed her hand, and not her fake husband doing it in public for show. His brow narrowed on her, hesitant of what to exactly say what he was feeling, if he was feeling anything at all.

He saw her eyes glance down to their hands and then back up to his own dark hypnotic ones and waited.

He felt a light surge start in his toes and flow up to his fingers, the way it used to when he started to develop a crush on someone. But, was it safe to say, even, that what he was feeling in his hindered state that it was, indeed, a crush and not just some pretty someone he had to look at day after day? Was it by process of elimination that he had started to develop this fancy for his godson's best friend? Surely, in the morning, this strange unexplainable feeling would fade away and not just be an excuse for a good wank later in the evening.

He mustered something up to come from his throat that properly formed, "Good night," and with that, he let her soft hand go.

With the release, Hermione pulled her hand close to her chest, offered him a slight smile and then turned and walked down the hallway to her own room. He watched as she quietly shut the door, turning back one more time to see him still standing there.

Around three o'clock in the morning, a thirsty sensation awoke Sirius from his heavy slumber. He glanced over at the clock, taking in the mental note of what time it was and realized he'd only been asleep for maybe an hour. He pulled the covers off his body and sat on the edge of the bed for a few moments to force his eyes open, before getting up to get a drink of water.

He stood up and yawned wide when he passed by his mirror over the dresser that was Hermione's. He took a moment to check out his lean form. Clad in only pajama bottoms, he ran a hand over his stomach to admire his trim physique under the moonlight creeping in through his windows. Quite chuffed with himself, he went out of his room and into the kitchen to get that glass of water to take back to bed.

Quietly slipping back into the hallway, he glanced down to Hermione's door when he heard something of a soft vocal sound. He sipped his water and quietly tip toed to her door. As he got closer, he saw that her door was slightly ajar and was able to see her lying under the covers.

He watched her stir under her blankets, her top sheet pooling around her waist to expose her in a small tank top. She had one hand resting palm up by her face and the other straight down under the sheets. He watched for a few seconds as she settled into her next position, admiring the way her hair fell around her pillows like a halo over an angel and her sweet lips poised in mid thought.

She started to stir again, releasing that same quiet sound that Sirius had heard before he came to her door. With closer examination, he saw that the hand that was under the covers was beginning to move, but not above the sheets. Her head moved slightly to the side and her chest began to breath heavy, dramatically rising and falling as she laid there. He saw a leg begin to lift, causing her covers to tent, and her lips released that small sound again, resting her leg back down. All her movements were slow and delicate, sweet and timid, but as he watched her lips move, her body relax and then tense again, it finally donned on him what he was witnessing.

As if someone had just dropped a bucket of hot lava down his body, Sirius tensed and felt the warmth rush through his veins. Hermione Granger, his godson's best friend, was masturbating with Sirius Black a mere five feet from her!

His mouth opened slightly, gaping at the sensual scene that was unraveling before him. He cursed himself for not noticing right at the beginning and for a second, doubted his senses that they may have been getting rusty, even after only three weeks. He watched as the one free hand around her head began to slowly trail down her face and down to her waist to lift up under her light cotton tank top so she could feel her own breasts. Sirius was about to melt as the erotic scent of femininity filled the animal within him. He couldn't see, but his imagination filled the void for him as he saw her covered hand underneath, shift by her waist. He imagined her slender fingers moving her panties to the side as they gently smoothed over her precious mound.

Sirius's muscles began to tighten and he nearly dropped the glass of water he was holding. He tried with all his might to peel his eyes from her sensual form, just as he was about to get a peek of a nipple when she lifted her shirt up to touch herself. The shirt fell back over her hand and she proceeded to squeeze her own nipples while remaining sheathed.

With his mouth open and biting the air of testosterone, he forced himself to walk away. Walk away and not enter her room, making a big, irrational mistake. He had no right to take advantage of this situation, because in the morning it would still remain the same. He had no idea if she even saw him as anything but that "handsome uncle" and really didn't get any impression if it was something she was either repulsed by or smitten by.

It wasn't up for discussion at this point and he walked right back into his room. He set his glass on his nightstand, laid back down in bed, pulled the covers as high as he could and proceeded to wank his cock with ferocious strokes to relieve himself of the heavenly scene that was laid out before him.

In the morning, Hermione woke up to the sound of tinkering dishes. She forced herself from the comforts of her six hundred count sheets and threw on a light bathrobe to venture out into the world. She passed Sirius's bedroom, noticing that he had already made his bed and quietly stepped into the kitchen, leaning against the doorway as she watched him cook over the stove.

"Good morning!" he sang to her, flipping the pan and letting it catch the pancakes on their own as he walked away to fix her some tea.

"Good morning," she mumbled, making her way to the small table they had set up for two people. She put her elbows on the table and let her head fall into her hands.

Sirius didn't take very long before he offered her tea and an extra glass of some smoky concoction. She looked up at him with hesitant eyes and a quivering lip only Sirius found funny.

He put the glass down in front of her and smiled, "Drink that first, then your tea. Trust me, it'll help. I swore by it back in my good days, and I swear by it now in my better ones."

She raised the glass to her lips, glancing over at him as he returned to the stove to look after the eggs scrambling themselves in a pan. After the first couple of sips, she was relieved to know that it didn't taste half as bad as it appeared and she quickly swallowed the rest of its contents, feeling it fill her stomach and immediately some relief. She moved her cup of tea closer to her, watching steam rise from it and looked back at Sirius who was now dishing out two plates of breakfast.

He turned with a spin on his bare heel and made his way back to the table, setting down the plates before each of them. Hermione glanced down, noticing her eggs were a little over done than normal and her pancakes white, light and fluffy. Her mouth curved into a frown as she looked at her breakfast and pondered the way it was cooked.

Sirius had a fork poised to his lips when he saw her, "Is something wrong?"

She closed her eyes and asked him, "How did you know that I liked my eggs well done?"

Still holding the fork before him, he answered hesitantly, "Because, I remembered answering that questionnaire the night before we got married and that's what you said." He took the bite off his fork, "Is that alright?"

Hermione just looked down and nodded, a bit choked up with the touching gesture that he had remembered, "It's fine. I'm just," she paused, "I'm just surprised that you remembered something so insignificant."

Sirius slowly chewed his breakfast, not quite sure how to answer that, so instead he quickly picked up his chomping pace and answered, "Well, you're welcome. But, if it tastes like shite, it's not my problem."

Hermione broke into a smile, releasing a few stifled giggles. She lifted her eyes to meet his from under curled tendrils and lifted her fork to show her appreciation.

Halfway through breakfast, and their small talk, they heard the rush of the fireplace, followed by, "Oi!" It was Harry.

Sirius wiped his mouth and got up to see what Harry wanted, as he stuck his head through their fireplace.

"Morning, mate," Harry announced upon seeing his godfather come through the kitchen threshold.

"Morning, how you doin this morning? Stay long at the pub last night?" Sirius asked, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the arm of the couch.

"Just one or two more, not much later. Hey, what are you doing today?"

Sirius leaned back to better view Hermione sitting in the kitchen, "Hermione, what are you doing today, love?"

"I was thinking of going shopping in Camden Market, today. Why?" she called out, after sipping her tea, grateful that the magical concoction had made her feel much better.

Sirius returned his attention to Harry's head that was floating from the fireplace, "We're shopping today. Why?"

"Remus is cooking tonight. Mentioned last night to have you over. So, whenever you lot get done, come back to the house." Harry confirmed, nodding his head and disappearing into the ashes.

Sirius grinned to himself and pushed himself off the couch to return to the kitchen with his wife. He plopped himself back down in his chair, resumed breakfast and between bites asked, "Mind if I tag along with you, today? It's been awhile since I've been in Camden."

She'd finished her entire breakfast alone, savoring every bite, because it was the best homemade breakfast she had had in a long time. She gave herself a little jolt when she heard Sirius offer his attendance and she didn't see any reason why not.

"Sure, I guess." She sipped her tea, "How long has it been since you've taken the Tube?"

He violently shook his head as he pushed his eggs onto his toast, "No, Tube. I'm driving."

Hermione stiffened at the very idea of being on his roaring contraption. She didn't answer; she remained silent, as if hoping the idea was just a slip of the tongue. When she didn't answer, he looked up through the black curtains of his hair as his face bent down to bite his toast.

"You're not telling me that you're afraid of riding my bike, are you?" he grinned, swallowing.

She avoided his eyes and heard him tap the table with his fork.

"You're telling me that you are currently assisting the Order in all their dirty works, working with the Ministry and all those assholes, have nearly faced Voldemort and you're afraid of riding a motorcycle?."

Hermione couldn't meet his eyes and instead, slumped down in her chair and held her tea up close to her mouth. Sirius smiled, letting out a deep low chuckle. He got up and took their plates to have the scrubber wash them for him.

He rubbed his hands together, the way one does with a devious plan and said, "Get ready to go in a half hour, Mrs. Black. We're going for a ride."

Hermione squeeze her eyes shut, knowing that he was going to say something like that and in the next half hour, they were both ready and dressed to go. Sirius waited by his bike outside, showing her that she had no excuse not to ride due to lack of space to carry her purchases, that he had bottomless saddlebags.

Sirius swung a leg over his bike and settled in, with one foot on a pedal and one foot still on the ground. He started the engine up, causing Hermione to startle as the sound erupted a volcano of nerves to boil over in her. She watched how casually he sat upon his mobile throne, like the manufactures had him in mind when they built it as he looked like a king in those fitted blue Levis and black t-shirt.

"So, get on." He hummed with a casual arrogance, as if commenting on the weather. He knew that she was scared. He glanced over at her, pushing his silky black hair out of his eyes and added, "Hermione, I've sworn to protect you," he raised an eyebrow, "and that includes while being on this bike."

She ducked her head as he made his little joke, and hesitantly approached him. She put a hand on his shoulder and threw her leg over to sit behind him. As she settled in, she tried to find an appropriate spot to put her hands, but failed with having to ask.

Sirius lifted the bike up between his legs and reached back for her hands that rested on his shoulders. He wrapped them around his waist, forcing her to lean her cheek against his back and then started to move the bike into the street and with a vibrating rev of the engine, took off into central London.

Hermione held onto him tightly, she squeezed her hands against his stomach, feeling the firmness under her trembling fingers. She hugged him from behind, letting her chin rest on his shoulder, looking ahead at the city before her through new eyes. As the wind whipped her brown locks around their heads, she couldn't help but feel an exhilarated rush that made her smile. With a sudden sensation that she may have been flying, she closed her eyes as her cheek rested next to his and listened to his voice as he spoke to her.

They rounded the last corner, seeing the crowd ahead coveting the streets and Sirius went down an alleyway to park his bike. Putting a charm over it so no one, not even the police could move it or see it, he ran a hand through his hair and glanced over at Hermione, who was now grinning. She had thoroughly enjoyed her first motorcycle ride.

They started up the street side by side, not holding hands like they would anywhere else in the wizarding world, as not many wizards were out this way. So, instead, they just meandered through the shops together, as friends, smiling and chatting and generally having a nice time. Hermione thought nothing of her hang over that morning, thanks to Sirius and felt free and vibrant. She couldn't help but think that maybe, there was a little extra boost of something in there that caused her to be so airy and friendly. Maybe it wasn't the drink, maybe it was just her finally feeling content with the friendship she was building with Sirius.

Through the shops, watching the crazy muggles and their funky attire, Hermione would browse the interesting books by muggle writers; band t-shirts for Sirius, then into the different foods down a walk way that smelled heavenly. As Sirius held all her packages, Hermione fetched them lunch to walk with as they wandered through the stands across the road.

While taking a sip of her drink, she glanced over at Sirius who was admiring the muggle architecture of the buildings, and she smiled as he looked absolutely fascinated with its structure. She smiled, watching the way he stretched his head back, letting his dark hair fall down his back and his chest puff out. The tight black t-shirt showed none of his modesty as it spread across his chest like a fitted glove, displaying his rather developed form. Far from the man he once was, first departing Azkaban, that she barely recognized his dramatic transformation.

"See something you like?" he asked, looking over in her direction.

She hadn't noticed that they had stopped in front of a jewelry stand, complete with antique artifacts, as well as newer, trendy ones. She shrugged off her oogling, like she was merely tossing her hair around and looked over the pieces.

Hermione leaned over the rings, admiring the fine craftsmanship in the detail. She tilted her head to the side to better view them and heard the shop keeper speak with Sirius.

"Newlyweds, I take it?" the shopkeeper asked, nodding his head towards Hermione, who was bent over and looking at the funky silver rings with intricate designs woven throughout.

Sirius narrowed his brow and smiled wickedly at the man, slightly suspicious. "Yes, how can you tell?" Sirius was always on his guard. Being in such a strange muggle place, you'd never know who you were talking to.

"Shiny new wedding rings." He innocently explained, pointing out to Sirius's hand.

It was true; the silver band did shine like a beacon on his slender fingers. With that in mind, he glanced over at Hermione, who was still bent over the rings and saw her try on a fine detailed silver one on her right hand. He smiled to himself and leaned over with her, leaving his face close to her side.

He whispered loud enough for her to hear, "You know, I never did get you an engagement ring."

"Sirius, don't be silly." She chided, standing up and quickly losing interest in the rings, for fear that he was going to buy her one of the expensive ones.

He smiled down to her, moving a lock of hair from her face and said, "Well, it would have fit the part."

Feeling her cheeks begin to warm with the intense look he was giving her, she quickly moved past him, ushering him down another lane of shops. Sirius watched her leave him, knowing that he had made her nervous, once again and gave the shopkeeper a wink.

They wound themselves around the market, picking up odds and ends of unique stuff they'd found and gathered up quite a few bags along the way. Like a personal butler, Sirius politely carried her bags, or bag as he magically downsized them all to fit into one, as they walked together. He was starting to really enjoy being around her, and realized that she wasn't half as bad as he'd thought. She had grown up quite a bit, and it was only when they were alone and breaking down their barriers, was he able to start seeing this.

They neared a couple of restrooms and Hermione excused herself for a moment. Sirius waited for her, learning against a wall, and just muggle watched. He noticed a couple of girls look his way a few times, smiling and then averting their eyes from his stare. Sirius being Sirius, he couldn't resist a good hearty wink to them, knowing that he was forced to behave himself.

His eyes scanned the crowd and ended on a fair haired blond boy and two ogre sized lads flanking next to him. Sirius sneered as the revolting wizard turned in his direction, just to catch Hermione coming out of the bathroom.

"Mudlbood!" Draco Malfoy called, walking behind Hermione and shoving her, nearly causing her to fall to the ground.

In seconds, Sirius rushed past Hermione and went at Draco with his hand opened and grabbing him by the throat. He pushed Draco back further, forcing him up against the wall as he barely stood on his toes with the strength Sirius held him in a choke.

Draco's eyes widened and started to stutter in shock as he was caught off guard by his cousin, once removed. "Fucking blood traitor! How could you marry her?"

"You touch one hair on her head, Draco, and I'll be in a cell in Azkaban with your father, after what I'll do to you." Sirius growled in Draco's face, hissing a bit to spit.

Draco's eyes searched left and right frantically, looking for support from his two cronies. They stood a few feet away and hesitated as they slowly stepped a few feet closer to Sirius.

Sirius glanced over at Crabbe and said, "Please, I dare you. Come and fuck with me. We'll see where it gets you." Relaxed and not at all alarmed, he looked back down at his first cousin's son, "You're a coward, you little shit. Just like your father."

"My mother will hear about this!" he spat, gasping for a tease of air into his lungs as Sirius squeezed his throat tighter.

"I'm sure she will. Tell her hi, for me. I'm warning you, Draco, touch my family again and you'll be sitting in St. Mungos." He threw Draco down with a powerful force and watched as he scurried to his feet, cursing Sirius as they ran away.

Sirius turned around and went back to Hermione who stood awestruck and, if he wasn't mistaken, aroused. She was frozen, her eyes intently on him and her breath slightly ragged.

"Are you alright?" he asked, coming closer and giving her a little grin. He was picturing her in her bed the night before, with the way her chest heaved.

He reached up and gently rubbed her arm, changing his demeanor from intimidating and ferocious to gentle and sincere. As she began to speak, her eyes never left his, "Thank you," she breathed, "You didn't have to do that."

"Yes, I did." He nodded, quietly urging her to walk with him, but she was still just amazed with him.

Hermione remained mostly silent for the rest of the afternoon and when they were back on Sirius's motorcycle to go over to Grimmauld Place for dinner, Hermione just hugged him. She folded her hands around his waist and rested her head against his back, closing her eyes and pretending like she was flying on a broom.

Something in her had stirred once again, with crazy, annoying thoughts of Sirius. In the beginning she thought that this was going to be the absolute worst mistake of her life, feeling trapped and alone. Now, as she witnessed a subtle act of chivalry, she knew that whatever was thrown her way, she wouldn't have anything to fear.

Sirius smiled to himself as he leaned over the engine of his favorite bike, yet. He felt his thighs vibrating as it shifted gears and Hermione's hands tighten around him with every rev up of the engine. He felt her press her body close, hugging him with her arms and gently leaning against his back for support. He thought about her the night before, when he realized this innocent creature, wasn't so innocent after all. She was nineteen and all woman by now and her sensual exploring proved that to him last night. What, he wondered, would she think if she knew that he had had a good wank with the visions of her stuck in his head?

_She'll never know._

Sirius slowed down his bike as he pulled down the street he grew up on, passing the garden with the tall tree with the thick trunk that he and his brother, Regulus used to take turns climbing high into its branches. He passed the nice little houses all in a row, before coming upon his own, hidden by overgrown shrubbery and broken fences. His _Mother's_ house.

He felt Hermione loosen her grip as they pulled into the driveway, waiting until they made a complete stop alongside the house where he always parked it. Sirius got off first and then helped Hermione throw her leg over the side as gracefully as she could. They turned to the front doors and quietly entered, with no muggle knowing their whereabouts.


	7. Coffee Tables and Frilly Knickers

A/N: Brilliant readers and reviewers, I thank you for sticking with this story. I know that I'm writing both at the same time (RETURNED being the other one), it's only because I've got more written for that one, than I do this one, that I've posted the chapters a little faster. This one is only about half a chapter ahead as I write it, trying to catch up with reviews with any holes I may have missed. I've got over 16,000 hits for this story and it's to YOU I thank for the reviews and such, (both there and LJ) that keep me writing it.

Sirius and Hermione – I adore them. They're all I write. I find that their relationship (though, extremely uncanon – though, I almost got hope after reading HBP) is challenging to write, but not difficult. Rest assure that there will be some good old smut (for those old enough to read it) for those craving that these two just jump in the sack already!

Chapter 7

"Are you two going to stay in the kitchen all night, or are you going to come into the sitting room and socialize?" Sirius purred as he walked over to Hermione and Ginny, who were at the sink in the kitchen, cleaning up after dinner.

Hermione looked up from talking with Ginny and smiled. Being around him at their flat, she'd noticed that Sirius had a certain kind of walk or swagger, as she called it. It was a cross between a strut and prowl and it made you feel like you were always his target or prey, even if he was just asking something as casual as the weather.

He stepped closer to the two girls, laying a hand around the small of Hermione's back and inquired if either lady would like a glass of wine that Remus had opened. He took their orders, gave the two young ladies a wink and walked back out into the sitting room.

Ginny couldn't help but grin as she looked over at her friend, when Sirius had left the room, "What was that?"

Hermione, still slightly dazed looked back at Ginny as if she had just made any random sound, "What?"

"That! The swagger he just gave you when he walked in, the touching your back, the low seducing voice," she mocked, "Are you two…" she didn't finish.

Hermione tilted her head and resumed washing the dishes the muggle way, avoiding her question. "No, don't you dare."

Ginny pressed on, nudging Hermione on the arm to get better gossip, "What was that? Was that the same guy that used to live here and bounce around this place like a ticking time bomb?"

"He's really not that bad," she explained, scrubbing a pan with fierce force, doing anything to preoccupy herself, rather than answer her insinuating questions. "We just get along better than we did before. We have to, we have no choice. We have to see each other all the time so, it's just easier to be civil."

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest, trying to size up Hermione. She smirked and slowly leaned in, dropping her voice to a whisper, "Fine, then answer me this, honestly."

Hermione glanced over at Ginny as she scrubbed, a bit nervous what her redheaded friend was going to ask.

"If you had to stay married to him, for the rest of your life, and I mean that this law doesn't lift," she began, "could you do it?"

Hermione started to shake her head, not wanting to answer any question that might incriminate her later. "It's not happening, Ginny. Eventually, one side will win this war and by then, who knows. I have good true feelings that we are going to come out of this ahead, we're going to defeat Him and we'll have the right people back in the Ministry and everything…" her words started to trail off in thoughts of "what if". "What if" the war never ended? "What if" the good side wasn't the ones to prevail? "What if" she had to stay married to Sirius to remain safe? This wasn't fair.

Not to him or her. It just had to happen, this she understood, and she was lucky enough to find a wizard on her own side that was willing to stand up for her. However, she couldn't help but dwell on it when it was teased that she might never be single again, or better yet, be married to someone she loved. She and Sirius were doing fine, yes, but it was all an act. The holding hands, the hugging, it was all for the others to see. None of the feelings mattered. The only thing that did was she and Sirius were getting along much better than what they had expected and would help each other out when needed. Even if it meant masturbating in the wee hours of the morning.

"Let the dishes clean themselves!" Harry shouted from the sitting room.

Hermione shook her head out of her funk, smirking over at Ginny with how her beloved treated them. Ginny forced the dishes out of Hermione's hands and charmed the scrubbing sponge to clean them on its own.

The girls entered the room, coming upon a severe game of wizard chess played by Harry and Tonks, as Ron, Sirius and Remus watched, but discussed the quidditch match from last night. Ginny took a seat next to Harry, laying her head on his shoulder, commenting on how his latest move put him in check. Tonks scratched her head, turning her hair purple and smiled, clucking her tongue at Harry with his poor move.

Hermione took her glass of wine that Sirius was handing to her, flashing her a quick smile. He pushed his way between Ron and Remus to stand next to her, away from everyone else.

"Are you tired?" he inquired, watching her cross her arms and watch Harry make another bad move.

She shook her head, cringing with Tonks's move and looked over at Sirius, "No, I'm fine. I think your potion is wearing off." She smirked at him. She really was appreciative of the morning brew, as it helped her through her day without suffering from the repercussions of late night drinking. "I had a nice day with you today. Thank you."

"I did, too. I think we should do it, again," he suggested. "And not because we have to."

Hermione's smile faltered into a simple grin distracted by his suggestion. "Now that we've proved we won't kill each other?"

"I didn't say that." He chuckled, "I still think we haven't had half as many good rows as we ought to. You're making this far too easy on me. You're not fighting with me enough to stir anything up. I was hoping that if we did do more things together, we'll eventually end up fighting like cats and dogs and then it'll be just like old times."

Harry looked up from his game towards his godfather and Hermione. He smiled when he saw them friendly with each other and was relieved that they had learned to tolerate one another. Granted, Harry wasn't there for what went on once they went back to their flat, but it was just as well. They obviously had put some water under the bridge, or at least were starting to, since he did catch Sirius wink at Hermione once or twice, that resulted in a silly "old Hermione" giggle that he hadn't heard in a long time.

During his thoughts, Harry missed Tonks obliterate a King's Knight, taking the square.

"Pay attention, boy!" Sirius called out, witnessing Harry's poor chess skills first hand.

Sunday night, the night before a new work week began; Hermione emerged from her bedroom, book in hand and quietly padding over to the couch in her bare feet. Sprawled out along the couch, Sirius laid with one foot on the coffee table and one leg down the length of the couch. She cringed when she saw his foot up on her grandmother's coffee table, but was at least relieved that he was shoeless. Her constant nagging of him to remove his shoes, prior to resting his foot on the table had finally registered, and she privately smirked to herself that he was listening.

Sirius looked up at her, standing by the arm of the couch and immediately took his foot down from the coffee table. "Sorry," he whispered, putting his foot on the floor.

She shook her head, "At least you heard me to take your shoe off." She glanced down at his other foot spread along the length of the couch to the cushion closest to her, "I was actually going to ask you to move your foot here."

"Why? Can I not spread out on the couch, now?" he mocked, lifting one eyebrow.

She frowned, "No, I'm asking you to move it, so I could sit with you! Don't be so smart."

His face changed, immediately apologetic and quickly moved his foot, elated that she was going to join him to watch muggle television. She thanked him and took her seat, opened up her book and resumed reading where she had left off.

Sirius watched her, her hair falling over her shoulders as she ducked her head down to read, then glancing at the television, making a mental note of how loud it was. "This isn't distracting to read? Would you like me to turn it off?"

Hermione looked up at him, narrowing her brow like he just said something she didn't know what language it was in, "No, I was just sitting here so I could read next to you."

"So, you're sitting on the couch, reading your book, so you can spend time with me?" he worked out, like it was a riddle.

Hermione just stared at him, "Why are you making such an issue with this? Yes, I am. Is that alright?" she asked, a little frustrated with them going round and round with the subject.

Sirius just smiled, glanced back at the television, and said, "Yes."

And he just dropped the subject with a slight grin poised over his lips and resumed channel surfing with his wand.

Hermione chuckled to herself, now relieved that it had gotten through to his thick head. With her peripheral vision, she saw him smile, knowing that he was quite humored by their subtle row. He'd done well with getting under her skin and she just shook her head, finding the moment funny. She glanced over at him, through curtained locks and saw him bite his lip, suppressing another smart remark.

She puckered her lips, and furrowed her brow and waited….

…and waited….

…and waited…

Finally he glanced over by the corner of his eye, not turning to face her completely, "I know you're waiting…"

She broke into a girlish giggle and quickly closed her book, using her finger to mark her place and used it to playfully hit him. He cowered under his arms, laughing and ducking his head to avoid tender hits of kindness, before she settled back down, giving his leg a proper smack, before resuming her reading.

Still smiling, Sirius continued his television channel surfing and settled back into the couch, putting his foot back up on the coffee table.

The air in the flat seemed to be much more pleasant. There was a sense of ease and overall content amongst the walls of their muggle flat. They'd started to get into a routine, always respecting eachothers' privacy that they discovered that random acts of kindness between them, dealt a nice day.

If Hermione was up before Sirius (most of the time), she set the muggle coffee maker to brew around the general hour he arose. She'd leave him a note to say where she'd be after work, if she had errands to run, and come home to a new note left by him, informing her of the same. A couple of times, Sirius had dinner ready or he confirmed plans to meet up with everyone, waiting for her to come home to take her with him. Other nights, he'd just say he was going out, with no idea when he'd come home. On said nights, Hermione found something to do to stay awake, just to make sure he was home alright. He never seemed to notice her still up, but he always seemed to make sure he said good-night when he went into his bedroom.

To masquerade as a married couple, Hermione kept her things in Sirius's room, in her bureau. Many times, she'd just walk in there, knowing that they had an understanding that she wouldn't enter, if the door was closed, so she wouldn't have to interrupt him doing "man things", as she called it.

Their general friendship seemed to improve, because after five weeks of marriage/living together, they'd started to find out each other's quarks. Knowing these things just seemed to make things easier, and more convincing if they got along behind closed doors, then just in the general wizarding world.

One night in particular Hermione quietly padded in bare feet into Sirius's room, where he was lounging on his bed, reading a book by a muggle author, Hermione had turned him onto. Something about finding clues in the Mona Lisa.

She went to her bureau, smiling at him when she entered and pulled out the second drawer to search for something. Sirius lifted his eyes in her direction, noticing that she had tissues between her toes, because she had just painted her toenails. He grinned to himself that he really ought to suppress his vicious thoughts, but instead, opened his mouth to say something subtle.

"You know, I really think you should keep your knickers in here." He grinned, raising his eyebrows when she glanced back at him to show herself rolling her eyes. She had gotten used to this by now. "I'm a bit offended that you don't keep your lacy frilly ones in those drawers."

She found the pair of yoga shorts she was looking for and turned to face him, hands on her hips, "I wouldn't leave anything of the sort anywhere by you. How do you know I have lacy frilly knickers?"

He grinned like a Cheshire cat, childishly wiggling his feet, "I've seen your laundry," he said, giving her a wink.

She rolled her eyes again, wobbling to the door, careful not to walk right out of her toe tissue, "I wouldn't trust you with them, anyway. I might come in here to find them scattered all over your floor after you've….." she bit her tongue playfully, suddenly too shy to finish, but added, "Or find you wearing them."

Sirius dropped his grin, finding the accusation not as funny – he would NOT wear ladies underwear! "Not funny, Granger. You better wobble out of here, faster."

She turned before leaving his room completely, "Oh, is Sirius upset that I touched a sore spot?" she teased.

"Run, Granger." He sneered, slowly lifting his book to ignore her.

Hermione mocked him, doing her best impression of him, as she flirtatiously exited, flipping her hair and winking ever so dramatically.

A Friday night rolled around and Hermione came out of her room and glanced at the clock. The antique clock's hands pointed to the eleven and a little past the twelve. Over on the couch she saw the back of Sirius's head and a raised hand with his wand out, using it to change the channels, again. As the stations flipped, she couldn't help but feel slightly to blame for his listlessness. Actually, she had all to blame why he was home on a night of all party nights, because he wasn't allowed to flirt with other women, go home with other women, or appear in anyway shape or form irresponsible. He had to keep up this façade of taking it seriously and not walk the line to possibly screw up. It then left her with a content feeling that Sirius was able to accomplish this difficult task. He appeared to be, and she hesitated to admit it, growing up.

Regardless, his life of celibacy was all due to her. He'd been so good, for so long, she had mulled over the idea for days that there must be a way; a way to keep things private and quiet, that no one would suspect anything.

Swallowing the lump in her throat, she took a deep breath to relax, before initiating the topic with him. She rounded the couch and saw his body slumped and relaxed within the confines of the leather sofa with one leg bent and under his other thigh. Upon seeing her check on him, he lowered his wand to look at her and just smile. He loved it when she was in the same room as he. There was something about having a person that really cared about your well being, and being quite pretty to look at, wander in now and then to check on you.

She smiled back and her eyes glanced down at the vacant spot on the couch before taking a seat. She turned her body to face him, listening to the sound of the television set go off with a flick of his wrist. Sirius shifted a little in his relaxed position to better see her. Waiting for her to talk to him about whatever it was that was concerning her, he gave her a comforting smile.

"I've been thinking," she started, her eyes falling to a nearby book he had on the coffee table, "about the fact that we're alone."

Sirius raised an eyebrow for her, a bit unsure of her conversational direction.

"About the notion that we can't see other people, or date, or do whatever."

"I'm listening." Sirius tiled his head, inquisitive.

"I've thought about it, and I think that if you were extremely discreet, then it would be alright. I mean, it really is quite unfair to us."

Sirius still wasn't sure what brought this on, but at the same time he wasn't sure how to go about answering her, "Now, when you say that you think it's unfair, is that in general, or to each other?"

"To each other." She sighed, looking down at the floor. She felt her cheeks warm, truly not enjoying the conversation that she had started. She rather liked having Sirius to herself, even if he was just a housemate. She couldn't help but feel a smidgen of pride in knowing that he couldn't be with anyone else, except her. This man. This legend. This gorgeous being with his foot propped up on her grandmother's coffee table.

Sirius looked away and nodded, "I see." His mind hadn't really been on what he had been missing out on lately, because he had learned to adjust to his new lifestyle.

"I mean, it's because of me that you've had to change your complete lifestyle. I think it would be okay, if we saw other people."

Sirius just nodded again, listening to her every word, finding himself surprisingly disappointed that she had brought this up. Taking a few moments to fully absorb what she was saying, it occurred to him that there was only one reason why this conversation was being instigated – Hermione had met someone else.

"So, what's his name?"

"Who?" she asked, jolting her head back to his attention.

"The guy you want to see? There has to be someone in order for you to bring this up."

Hermione just looked at him and shook her head like he was telling her that the color black was really white, "No, there isn't anyone."

"Then, why are we having this conversation?"

"Because of you. I feel horrible that you're home this late on a Friday night. I'm the reason why you're home, why you're living this facade of married life and not being happy."

For a moment, Sirius just looked at her as if she had two heads. He hinted to a small grin and quietly said, "I'm actually quite happy, Hermione."

Hermione's brow furrowed in query, not sure if she was hearing him right.

"I've started to grow accustomed to this new life. Granted, it is trying at times with the social aspects, but for the most part, I'm not unhappy. I'm content." He watched how she just remained speechless, absorbing his every word as if English was new to her and she was utterly fascinated with it. "Playing a husband has been easy and I've rather enjoyed it. I know there's a lot more to it, but for now…" he started to trail off, slowly catching up to the thoughts that started to pop into his head.

Her eyes fell for a moment, listening how his voice started to trail off. Suddenly, she felt like something had to push forward. There was something bugging her about what he just said, "You're content playing a husband, or," she paused, "or playing my husband?"

Sirius was still and his heart rate started to increase with every breath he exhaled. Had she been learning Occlumency? Was she actually reading his thoughts?

Before it got too awkward, he bit the bullet and answered honestly, "Playing your husband."

Hermione raised her eyes and as if she was committing him to a new memory. She studied the way is brow furrowed when he was serious, the way his lips were poised from the last word he spoke and how his soft dark hair cut across his chiseled jaw. He was, in a matter of speaking, absolutely gorgeous to her.

"I'm really happy with how comfortable we've gotten, putting aside our pasts. I know that we both never expected this in a hundred years, but now that we're in it…" he lost his respectable train of thought and reverted back to the flirtatious, but cautious, Sirius, "You're the first one I see in the morning, and the last one before I go to bed. It's comforting to have you nearby, Hermione."

Hermione wasn't as stunned as she expected herself to be, and felt the same for Sirius. She loved waking up to the sound of him tinkering away in the kitchen, often having her tea ready when she woke up. She even enjoyed cooking dinner for him, even when he wasn't going to join her and leaving it in the refrigerator for him later. She often folded his clothes if they were in a clean laundry basket and found herself doing more than expected. When they had their occasional row, it was never left saying hurtful things, but more of a stubborn draw between them. They had grown…comfortable.

Hermione's eyes dropped back down to the coffee table and smiled sweetly, "Whenever you're around, I always feel so safe. I see now, how lucky I am, to have you protecting me. For a long time, I misunderstood you, but now," she ducked her head, "I get you."

"I half expected to want to throw myself back into the Veil, after two weeks married to you." He winked.

Hermione's eyes shot up, searching for him to be joking and was relieved when she saw the corner of his mouth ease into a smirk and flash her a wink.

"Yes, well, I never thought we'd make it this long, to tell you the truth."

"Guess we proved them wrong." He purred with confidence.

Hermione slowly allowed that shy smile to come out in her, feeling her cheeks begin to warm with his eyes on her. She was so relieved that he showed no interest in seeing other people, which left her to hope….

_He never would. Not a chance in hell. Don't waste your time and keep dreaming._

"I guess we did." She whispered, lost in her hopeless thoughts.

Sirius watched her as she held a look of content over her angelic face. She pushed a lock of hair behind her ear and stood up from the couch. Slightly saddened of her departure, he asked her where she was going.

She looked back at him, "In my room."

"Are you going to bed?"

"Not yet."

"Then, would you care to sit with me to watch television?" he tilted his head to ask, lifting his arm to invite her to sit next to him.

She watched how innocent he appeared to be, and smiled, nodding her head. She slowly turned to go back to the couch, stepping past her normal cushion on the other end of the couch to sit closer to him. Once seated, he casually draped his arm around the back of the couch, letting his fingers lightly touch her shoulders and with a flick of the wrist, he put the television back on. After a few minutes, Hermione felt relaxed enough next to him to lean closer, settling in against him. He felt his heart skip a beat as she pressed her feather-like weight against him, getting comfortable. As she stilled, he slowly moved his arm lower, draping it around her shoulder, protectively guarding her to him.

Hermione leaned her head back, resting against his chest and listened as his heart beat began to slow down. She smiled to herself knowing that he was just as nervous as she was.

_Maybe, there would be a chance._


	8. To be Left is to be Alone

A/N: Wow, "Baby's on Fire," (sorry, cheesy Velvet Goldmine reference). I've got, yet, another chapter finished and up. I'm working away, slowly chipping away at a conflict I hope to soon establish, even if it is a little one. Several have asked me where my inspiration comes from, and I'll answer right out: Music. There are loads of songs out there that help you picture scenes, but for me, it's a lot of Danny Elfman music, not the HP soundtrack (too distracting). The other inspiration comes from Gary Oldman as Sirius Black. I see him AS Sirius as much as Sirius resembles Gary Oldman. Many of you younger HP fans might not appreciate what he's done, or what he's capable of for that matter, but know that when I write this, it's a very dashing, very handsome, younger Gary Oldman doing all these deeds ;)

The next few chapters might not be as speedy, but I'll do my best. I'm still hoping to get some work done on the Labyrinth fan fic I'm writing, as that was my first passion before Sirius and Hermione frolicked into my life.

I don't normally do this, but because they've been extremely supportive of this story and leaving reviews, I dedicate this chapter to Serendipity-England-1922 and Khuu-Khuu from LJ.

Ch. 8 – To Be Left is to be Alone

The very next day, the couple was notified of their second monthly inspection by the Ministry. Like before, Mr. Shortbook looked through the apartment, to validate their marriage. Hermione was standing with Sirius by the fireplace as they were just as eager for him to leave as they were for him to arrive.

Sirius glanced over and saw the way she'd tug on her shirt, or her skirt, making sure she was damn near perfect, but honestly just working herself into nervous hysterics. His heart went out to her, again remembering that she had a lot to lose if they didn't succeed. For the last week, he just felt like things were getting easier, and it was apparent in their body language.

Hermione no longer cringed when Sirius, so much as put a hand on her shoulder, but instead just smiled at him. She laughed with him more, mocked him with his excessive winks and was generally playful with him. Even when they were being inspected, it was no reason to drop that. Making a small, sweet sound to catch her attention, she glanced over at him and saw him pull her to him. With ease, she wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed when she felt his chin rest over her head.

Her face pressed in close to his chest and she slowly drifted away to the hypnotic sound of his pleasant heart beat. His hand gently rubbed her back, soothing her of the knots she'd worked herself into. At the sound of Mr. Shortbook's voice, she tried to pull away, but Sirius held her tight, not letting her go. She moved her head a little to better see the balding man of authority and spoke to him from there.

Like before, Mr. Shortbook took out his notebook and started to scribble extra notes about them, "And the copulation?"

"Come on!" Sirius groaned, still revolted by the scientific word he kept using.

Hermione smiled with his funny tone, "We're good."

"Look, Shortbook, new word. Don't be so technical. We're bangin away, so leave it at that." Sirius interrupted, raising a hand to the back of Hermione's neck to tangle his fingers in her tendrils.

The short pudgy man glanced up at Sirius through hooded eyes, jotting down notes. "But, you're not pregnant?"

Hermione's breath escaped her and she managed to pull away from Sirius, allowing him to leave a hand on her back, "No!" she barked, "I mean, no, not yet."

Mr. Shortbook furrowed his brow and flipped through a few pages in his notebook, "You two have been married for nearly two months, and still you're not expecting? Surely, you understand the rules of the law."

"Yes, we do, but don't blame us if the precious gift of life hasn't been granted to us, yet." Sirius blew up, this time feeling Hermione's hands reach up and press against his chest to calm down.

A bit alarmed by his reaction, Hermione gently pushed him back, afraid that he was going to fly off the handle any second, "Darling, it's all right."

"You go back and tell the Ministry fucks to sit and wait! It's bad enough that they're forcing muggles to marry against their will, but it's another to badger them about not being knocked up!"

"But, Mr. Black, no one forced Mrs. Black to marry you. You told me that you two have been courting for quite sometime." Mr. Shortbook was waiting for something like this to come out. He was waiting for the notorious Sirius Black, let the truth slip and their marriage would be over within minutes. He already had one in particular lined up, just in case something were to "accidentally" happen to Sirius Black and his flippant tongue.

"We were!" Hermione interrupted, desperately afraid for Sirius to blurt something else out that might have been taken the wrong way.

"We were a special case! Now, I believe, Shortbook, that you're done. Good-bye." Sirius growled, letting Hermione fawn over him with her gentle caresses around his face and neck, to calm him down.

With a swift nod, Mr. Shortbook tipped his hat to Hermione and stepped through the fireplace.

"What was that?" Hermione yelled, putting her hands against his chest and looking up at him with fearful eyes, "You nearly blew it!"

Sirius looked away, not wanting to confront the issue that his temper might have gotten away from him, "No, I didn't. The Ministry is made up of a bunch of pricks and they have no right to dictate what we should or shouldn't be doing. They've got us on a fucking deadline!" he argued, looking everywhere around the flat, but down at her.

"But, you shouldn't have said that to him, now they're going to look at us through a magnifying glass if we keep acting like this. Sirius, please!" she begged him, putting a hand up to his cheek.

Like a stubborn child, Sirius pulled away from her and without looking back, grabbed his jacket and apparated away.

Hermione felt all the blood rush into her fingertips, her legs began to wobble and she felt like all the air in the flat was being sucked away from her. She had worked herself up to the brink of exhaustion and found herself beginning to sob. Like the most important thing in her life had shattered, she felt like her only lifeline had deserted. She depended on Sirius and at that moment, he proved to be absolutely useless. He might have botched the whole thing up, and then when she wanted to confront him with it, he left her. He left her standing in their flat, with no explanation, no invitation and avoiding all confrontation with her.

She looked around at the flat, believing that any minute, a Ministry authority was going to apparate in front of her, take her away and marry her off to the first available Death Eater. Her mind raced a mile a minute and brief thoughts came to mind about how they would present her with divorce or annulment papers, how they would assign her another mate and how she'd probably never see Harry, or Sirius for that matter, ever again.

Along her warmed cheeks, Hermione felt a tear moisten her skin and soon she realized that she was letting her body cry. She felt alone and forgotten and slightly frightened. She didn't want to apparate, afraid that something or someone might intervene her transport and instead, made careful slow steps towards her own bedroom. She leaned against the wall for support and allowed her body to slump further, feeling it shutter from the emotional wave that had taken her under. She made it to her room and with minimal effort, collapsed on the bed, curling up with her old blanket and favorite pillow. Her body shook lightly, as she listened to the light thunder in the distance, indicating a storm was brewing in the outside world. Her eyes felt heavy and soon she was quietly drifting off to sleep, lost in a world of insecurity.

With a "pop", Sirius apparated back into the flat a couple of hours later. His jacket was wet, his pants felt heavy and his heart was weighed down with unfamiliar guilt. He shrugged off his leather coat and hung it up by the door. He stood for a moment in his silence, listening for any sound of life in the flat with him. The living room remained dark, since the storm outside had crept into the early evening. Sirius's acute sense picked up on Hermione breathing somewhere in the flat. He allowed his body to sigh, preparing himself for what he was about to face and ran a hand through his damp hair as he started the walk down the hallway to her bedroom.

Like before, he saw that her door was ajar and he peeked in to see her lying asleep. There were no sensual movements this time, no writhing under the covers like a prisoner's fantasy, just a hurt young girl. Sirius's heart sank lower, knowing that she had probably put herself to bed early, not wanting to deal with the stress he had caused her that afternoon.

He quietly pushed her door open and stepped into her cozy little guest room that she had made her own. Nothing about it was personalize, nothing about it said that it was her room, only the book that lied on the nightstand with her wand carefully placed nearby.

_Maybe she was going to hex me, when I came home._

For what it was worth, he smiled somberly when he saw how beautiful she looked under the light blanket, with her hair sprawled around her head like the mane of a lion. Her breathing had subsided and she appeared to be in a deep sleeping trance that he resented breaking. He kneeled down next to the bed, his hands in front of him as if in prayer and he whispered her name with a gentle tone. She didn't move.

Sirius reached out for her hand that rested close to her chest and lightly grazed her cheek with the back of his fingers. He watched as her eyes began to flutter and she slowly opened them to see the stubborn handsome man looking remorseful.

She wasn't startled or alarmed, but she did close her eyes on him. He curled both hands around hers, wishing that she'd look at him.

"You left me, Sirius." She whispered weak from her sleepy haze.

He lowered his head like a guilty puppy, "I know. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you."

She opened her eyes again and with no emotion added, "Do you leave all the women that depend on you?"

Sirius couldn't look up. Not when she had called him out on the truth. Not when she appeared to be so innocent and honest, lying there before him. It was true, she was his responsibility and he had just simply walked out because of the way he was so used to dealing with things. He knew that was a problem he had, throwing himself into a fight, get in the doghouse, and avoid everything to confront it. Like the Veil – he screwed up, and if it wasn't for Hermione, then he wouldn't have been there today.

"I deserved that. I know how much this means to you, Hermione. I shouldn't have said what I did to that little prick-"

"Sirius." She whispered, trying to correct him, even in her half conscious state.

"I know I should really try to avoid calling him names," he paused, "Well, until he's gone."

"He's going to tell the Ministry."

"I know. And I promise you, I'll deal with it. Don't worry. You'll be safe." He replied, his tone that of resentful remorse. He hated to admit he was in the wrong, but knew if she was going to trust him, then he was going to have to start taking responsibility for his tongue.

She opened her yes fully, now; blinking enough to hold back the tears that still lingered from earlier. With mixed emotions, she had sobbed herself to sleep, not wanting to feel that sense of dependency on him. She'd already told him that she was fine just being married to him, possibly implying that she might be open to more, but she was sure he didn't read it.

How could he? Why would he? When she needed him to talk, he left. When she was afraid of what was going to happen, because he lost his temper, he left. He couldn't do that. She couldn't rely on that.

Upon his words, Sirius leaned over and kissed her hand, chivalrously. His lips lingered for a few moments longer than what was necessary for making the point and she could almost feel the subtle burning on her skin. His lips felt soft, but rough with the light stubble on his chin.

He pulled away and tilted his head to see into her pretty eyes. Feeling better, now that she had seen that he did feel horrible with how he reacted, she smiled at his kind gesture.

Giving her a smile back, he whispered, "I got you something."

She smiled wider and whispered, "You did?"

Sirius reached into his jeans pocket and took out a short thick stick. He gave it to her and with her now free hand, accepted it, but furrowed her brow as she looked at it.

"It's just a stick, Sirius."

Sirius reached over for her wand, whispered a spell and transfigured the thick stubby stick into a beautiful bouquet of blood red roses. As the flowers took shape in her hand, she slowly sat up from the confines of her blankets. She felt her cheeks flush and with a big smile, still not forgetting what he had done, she laid them down to her side to reach for him. He stood up to sit on her bed beside her and welcomed her embrace, pulling her close to him. He felt her squeeze him tightly, thankful that he had returned and confronted her. He, ever so pleased to feel her beating heart against his, kissed her on the crown and gently smoothed down her hair. She felt so good against him, her arms wrapped tightly around him, proving to him that she did, indeed, need him. Only now, he had to make it up to her, proving that she had gotten the best wizard for the job.

After dinner they ordered from a muggle Chinese restaurant, Sirius invited Hermione to read next to him. Only, this time, it was when he was sitting on his own bed, lying in his pajama pants, shirtless. Upon the invitation, Hermione summoned all of her courage to accept, warning herself that she had to maintain some self control and not stare, because if the tattoos on his chest weren't a work of art, his very lean and firm form was. He claimed that he had questions in the book she had offered him to read and was hoping to keep her nearby, should any arise when he hit any new parts. She accepted, making sure that she kept her distance when settling in on his bed.

"I'm not going to bite you, love." He purred, lowering his book as she seemed to keep at least three feet between them as she adjusted the spare pillows against the headboard.

She played it cool and preoccupied and answered, "I'm not afraid that you are. I just don't want you to feel smothered."

He smiled, knowing that she had suddenly taken to fidgeting with her tank top, making sure she wasn't revealing anything. Though, why she wasn't aware of how short her yoga shorts she slept in were was beyond him. He was grateful that she hadn't noticed him glancing down at her firm pale thighs.

"Don't be concerned for me, I've been in tighter places." He smirked, thinking of his double entendre.

_Now is not the time, Sirius._

He mentally cursed himself for making a mental note of how alluring she appeared with her little tank top, short shorts and all of her book nerdiness displayed for him. She may never be his normal type, but there was definitely something about her that made him take a triple glance at her. She was, indeed, coming around and he was sure that she was probably always this way around Harry and Ron, but only now was she comfortable to appear this way before him.

The fact that it had been _ages_ since he'd been laid had nothing to do with it.

Twenty minutes went by and Sirius glanced over when he heard Hermione close her book and lean it against her chest as she leaned her head back and mulled it over. She had obviously finished it and was quite pleased with its ending. Sirius on the other hand, was still trying to figure out why he hadn't noticed the details of the Mona Lisa before this book and was absolutely mesmerized by it.

After a few minutes of getting lost in her thoughts, Hermione looked over at Sirius, who's head down made his hair fall over his shoulders. Without him noticing, she skimmed his half naked body down to his stomach where she admired the way his skin barely rippled in the curve of his body while he sat, as it was pulled over taut muscles from vigorous workouts.

Since returning from the Veil, he had been determined to capture any bit of his cheated youth that he had, and he had done well. There before her eyes laid a man whose mental clock of twenty-four, though his birth certificate might say thirty-nine, didn't appear to be anything over thirty.

Hermione sighed aloud, catching Sirius's attention, glancing over. Horrified that she had made any sound at all, let alone it be a sigh of admiration, she quickly recovered with examining the tattoos on his chest and arms.

"So, what does this one mean?" she asked, leaning on her side and placing a finger on the center tattoo that looked like an Egyptian symbol.

Sirius glanced down to where her finger touched and he answered, "That one means truth."

"And this one?" she trailed her finger to another up by his collarbone.

He swallowed deep as her gentle touch caused his mouth to dry. With only a finger, this young woman was able to capture his breath for the moment.

"That one means loss."

"And this one?"

He followed her finger, feeling her lean in to better view his body art where her face was inches from his own, "That one was my last. It means revenge."

Hermione raised her face to peer into his. She looked up to see his beautiful dark eyes gazing into her own and for a brief moment, thought she saw him move in, but in a subtle way, he just reached up and moved a lock of hair from falling in her face.

She swallowed, lost in the Black Sea that were his eyes and cleared her throat to brazenly quietly ask, "Do you have any tattoos that I can't see?"

Sirius remained still, raising a corner of his mouth to smirk at her curiosity, "No. You can see everything that I have."

She froze, just sure that he was going to lean in and kiss her. She was ready. She was waiting for it. She was just shy of moving in on her own, but retracted the centimeter she did move in. Hermione was not going to initiate anything. That's not the way it was done and she sure was not the type he would normally go for.

Sirius needed a girl that was rebellious, wild, crazy, and fun. Not someone that thought a good night pampering herself was with a non-fiction book and a muggle Coca-Cola. Someone as plain and boring as she wouldn't be someone that might turn Sirius's head. But, for that second that she thought he might move in, she found her eyes beginning to sag. Her emotional rollercoaster of a day had wiped her out and even laying in such close proximity to the man that exude sex like a cologne wasn't able to keep her awake.

The minute Hermione began to let her eyelids droop, her head was resting against his shoulder, relaxed and sound asleep. Sirius watched her fade and was more than grateful to accommodate her with any part of his body. If it kept her in his bed, even completely clothed, he was going to jump at the chance of it.

However, Sirius being Sirius Black, he couldn't help but sneak a peek. The way she laid sleeping against Sirius's side, had left her loose tank top a little open. His eyes traveled down her neck through long dark curtains of heaven and he was able to peek down at the top of a perfect set of supple breasts, belonging to a wife he could never bed.

Sirius carefully picked up his wand, whispered an incantation and the sheets were softly laying themselves over them. Extinguishing the light on the stand, Sirius closed his eyes as he felt the warm body next to his, just thankful that for the night, he wasn't alone.


	9. It's All a Facade

Chapter 9

Neither one of them said anything about Hermione waking up in Sirius's bed. It was something they both knew was probably wrong in all reality of it, but neither one said anything. Hermione could have gotten up at any point in time and returned to her own bed, but when she opened her eyes around three o'clock in the morning she changed her mind.

Sirius laid flat on his back, his head turned slightly away from her with the moonlight accenting his perfect silhouette. His toned arms lay above the covers, one up around his head and the other carefully placed over his stomach. He looked like a sleeping dark angel next to her, far enough to give her her own personal space.

Even though the clock stood at three o'clock, Hermione found herself drifting back asleep, feeling peace and comfort. She hated to admit it, even in her groggy state, but she had never felt so comfortable, so warm and so relaxed, until that night.

Maybe it was because the room she laid in had more of her personal things among it and the general feeling of knowing that, helped. She could look over and see her old dresser, some clothes hanging in the closet on her side, a much wider window letting the moon's rays grace the room with a blue hue that seemed to radiate a more tranquil aura.

It was a shame that she'd not be able to do this often, because the very idea of sharing a bed with Sirius brought up to many dirty ideas. Something that wasn't supposed to be on her mind in this situation, but the way he started to focus his attention on her, the way he'd wear those fitting pants, the way he admitted he was responsible for her, the fact that his half naked body was sprawled out next to her, the way he was just nicer to her, forced her old childhood crush on him to resurface.

As sleep was about to reclaim her, she stole one more glimpse at him, and his rising bare chest, envisioning the lucky girl that would be able to attract Sirius Black. For a fleeting moment the butterflies in her stomach began to tickle as she pretended to be that naughty girl for him, sprawled naked under those same sheets.

As the sun rays kissed her face, turning in from the moon, Hermione woke up to the soft tinkering sounds of cups in the kitchen. She forced herself from the layers of soft blankets and left his room. She wandered out into the kitchen, greeting him good morning and then taking a seat at their little table.

She watched Sirius stir two cups of coffee, "I think we're secure enough when I ask you, don't you think what you're wearing is a little skimpy for house wear?"

Hermione crossed her legs and glanced down her tank top, taking note that she was probably showing a little more than necessary for running around the flat. "No, why? Do we have company coming this morning?"

He turned around, a cup in each hand, and set them down on the table. "No, just merely commenting that you might not be completely aware of how much you're showing."

There, he finally said it. Maybe now, she'd take the hint to put on more clothes around him, if she was going to lay around on her days and nights off. The temptation had just been too great and he was sure that if she kept her lack of clothes up, he was sure to say or do something that he might regret. It was better to nip it in the bud, before anything was to develop.

Hermione glanced down at her cup, making a mental note that he had learned to make her coffee the way she liked it. Feeling a little confident, she called him on it, "Does it bother you that I wear this? Does my lack of clothing offend you?"

He barked with laughter, quickly taking the cup away from his lips for fear that he might snort it out his nose, "Merlin's Beard, no." he chuckled, "Hell, if it was up to me, I'd rather have you walk around here naked. But, that's just my opinion and by that, I'm sure I've said too much. I was just merely trying to point it out, before I accidentally released the inner animal in me. Remember, once the dog gets let out, I am no longer responsible for my actions."

Hermione giggled and nodded, "Please, as if I would ever be your type?" she quickly threw out.

Sirius raised his eyebrows with interest as he went in for his coffee for a second time, "I don't know. You might be. I don't have a type."

"Oh, don't lie," she played it cool and confident, but deep inside her heart was fluttering like a parakeet trying to break free, "I've seen the women you go out with."

"What's wrong with them? I happened to have gone out with nice girls before I was married," he winked, carefully sipping his coffee and thoroughly loving the topic of conversation. Perhaps he'd be able to throw a few hints out there, to see if she'd bite.

Hermione giggled in the most mature way she knew how when she was serious in answering, "Oh, don't give me that. I've seen all the kinds of girls you've gone out with and they all fit the same type."

"You think so? Humor me, Hermione. Tell me what I don't see."

"They all seem to either be ten – fifteen years younger, very rarely have I seen you with women your age-"

Sirius snorted, quite taken with her observation and leaned back in his chair to listen to her in comfort.

"They either don't have much to think on their own and make up for it with their physical attributes, or they only have their physical attributes to go on, alone. You love being doted on, you crave attention and you wish to be the only man in their life, but wish to have several women at your own disposal."

Sirius couldn't speak. He just sat there, with a dumb look on his face, never believing that he appeared like that to anyone, let alone, Hermione. For a second, and only a second he was embarrassed, but shook himself out of it to lean up and ask, "Then, what, pray tell, would be your type?"

Hermione swallowed the lump forming in her throat, "I'm not sure. I've gone out with a few different ones."

"Like that quidditch player you fancied? What ever happened to him? He was a looker with security." Sirius pried, sipping his coffee cup.

"We just grew apart." She cleared her throat, "Not much more to that, really."

"And Ron?"

She smiled, "Well, you know how that turned out." She ducked her head, letting her curls hide her blushing cheeks.

A few moments passed between them where they felt like they had one on the other, but couldn't help but grin at each other. Were one of them fishing and the other not biting? Or was it that they were both fishing, but neither of them had any bait?

Finally, Sirius emerged from behind his coffee cup and tried, "So, you don't think a young, intelligent, clever pretty witch would ever be my type?"

Hermione quickly glanced up as fast as she glanced back down at her cup, "I don't know. Said young witch might have to go out and buy a leather skirt, fishnets and stilettos to be your type."

Sirius grinned, pleased that she took his bait, "Now, as much as I wouldn't object to a young, intelligent, clever pretty witch wearing said leather skirt, fishnets and stilettos, I wouldn't require it. Something tells me that by living with another young intelligent clever pretty witch, I'd be happy with whatever she's already got."

She looked back up as he finished his comment, leaving a half grin over his lips and leaving her with a thoughtful wink. She, on the other hand, was about to jump out of her skin with excitement. The very idea of starting anything with him, this man, this rebel, this convicted, now free, felon, who's "chosen one" godson was her best friend, made her blood boil. It positively excited her. It was taboo. It was naughty. Was it wrong? Would it honestly be accepted amongst the Order if they did get together? One thing was certain, it'd convince the Ministry once and for all, if they did.

Sirius got up to go to the window where an owl was sitting and pecking away for their attention. He let the owl in, handing it a treat and taking the note that was attached to its leg.

He opened the letter, letting his coffee be refilled by the coffee maker on its own and read the letter aloud, "Dear Mr. Black, congrats once again on your recent marriage. I was deeply saddened that we never went out for drinks like I suggested, but now I, and my readers, see that you're a man that wishes to be tied down." He rolled his eyes and continued on with the letter, "It would be a great pleasure to sit down with you and your wife, Henrietta for an exclusive interview on the muggle/pureblood marriage law. Eager to hear from you, Rita Skeeter, Daily Prophet."

"Henrietta? I had so much dirt on that women, and she still goes and screws up my name." Hermione mumbled as she sipped her coffee.

Glancing over at her, he was sorry their morning conversation was interrupted, but was hopeful that they might revisit the subject again, later. "So, should we do it?"

Hermione shrugged her shoulders and answered, "I know you like the attention, so I guess so."

"It might stall the Ministry a bit longer, if we really sack it to them good in the story, and you know Rita will add her own comments.

"Stall them?"

Smiling to himself, Sirius took the opportunity to smoothly slide into a darker side, in order to play with her. He slowly swaggered over to her, watching her peek at him through the corner of her eye. He started to raise his hands up under his t-shirt to lift it up and over his head, exposing his half naked flesh, again, there in the kitchen.

His voice was low and seductive when he purred, "Yes, stall the Ministry." He reached a hand up to better lift her face towards him, playing the sexy character to the hilt. Hermione watched him, nervous, with big eyes, a little alarmed that he had suddenly changed right before her eyes, "Otherwise, we better get started on the baby making."

Hermione nearly choked over the lack of oxygen that had vacated her lungs and she abruptly stood up in front of him, pushing past him and setting her cup in the sink, "I think we better do the interview."

Sirius relaxed his puffed out chest and broke into a fit of chuckles, quite pleased with himself with how nervous he made her. As much as he was just being playful, he knew that she saw through him, and only fought her damnedest to deflate his ego. She loved doing that.

Wednesday rolled around and Sirius went to Hermione's work at the building for the Ministry of Magic and onto the floor of her department. Compared to where she had to go for a marriage license, it was another world on her floor. People were nice, considerate and true to the good side, above all else. She held her position as an apprentice to another Auror, hoping to go out on her own in a year. If the war was over before she could be an independent, she had already planned on transferring to the Muggle Studies and Relations department as an investigator.

She heard a slight stir from a few cubicles down from hers and Hermione lifted herself up to peer over them. Walking down the hallway, Sirius sauntered in, looking around for Hermione. A few women had peered over, trying to get a glimpse of him, being that he was a celebrity of some nature. Her entire department knew that she married him, but they were shocked to have not even noticed she was even dating him prior to that.

"We tried to keep it quiet, afraid some wouldn't understand." She would reply whenever cornered in the break room by the women like a pack of hungry dogs.

One woman in her department, claimed to have gone out with him, while they were back out at school. However, when Hermione reintroduced them, he had to bite his tongue, because as hard as he may have looked coming out of Azkaban, this witch looked worse, gaining a little over two hundred pounds in his lost years. Knowing this, the witch raised her chin and pushed past Hermione, as if she had something to prove.

"Wow," Sirius added, taking hold of Hermione's hand as she led him to her cubicle. "Wow, I can't believe that was her." He was virtually stunned as he sat down in the vacant chair next to her desk. "She used to be cute, petite, brunette, not….not…"

"Shhh, Sirius, stop it!" she joked, playfully holding his hand for others to see.

"I could have been married to that?" he continued to gawk, lowering his voice so only Hermione could hear.

"You were engaged to her?" she asked, a little surprised.

"No, I dumped her before our sixth year, but you never know. What if I hadn't? I would have been condemned to a life of-"

"Stop it!" she laughed, lowering her voice and squeezing his hand. "I still have to work with that woman."

"Then protect me," he suggested, pulling her down to sit on his lap, so she didn't have to stand. "Or, she might smother me with those gigantic things hiding under her blouse."

She put her arm around his neck, smiling at him and letting him hold her steady on his lap, with his arms wrapped loosely around her slender waist. He openly laughed for her, pretending to be frightened and using her as a shield.

Catching them off guard, a bright flash bulb distracted them and there standing as the smoke cleared was Rita Skeeter, dressed in a blue and white striped suit with her photographer behind her. Her quill was already poised and ready, smiling wide and cocking her left eyebrow.

"Ah, love," she started, looking into the air as if searching for a catchy headline, "Two worlds finding each other… or something of that nature." She pulled a chair closer for her to sit down and start the Quick Quotes Quill. Upon getting comfortable, she got a good look at Hermione and gasped just slightly, "Oh, it's you? You're the muggleborn he married?" Her eyes were as big as saucers as she saw them as an even bigger story than she could imagine.

"Yes, I'm the one." Hermione repeated, holding her chin high and feeling Sirius's hand squeeze her waist.

"Well," she flipped her blonde curls over her shoulder, tipping her chin down to peer at Sirius through her half moon pointy spectacles. "Sirius Black has gone and married his godson's ex-girlfriend."

"We never dated!" Hermione interjected, still trying to claim that that story wasn't right.

"Right, dear," she ignored, paying more attention to Sirius, "Sirius, tell me, what does it feel like to be incarcerated once again, but in your own home?"

"Excuse me?" Hermione squeaked.

Sirius chuckled at how poorly the interview started, but ended up putting Rita in her place a few times. Granted, not too much of it sounded like it would come out right the way they quoted it, as Rita had that reputation for not getting any bit of it right.

Mostly, the attention was on Sirius, being the known celebrity and Rita continued on to compare his new marriage to a muggleborn to that of being incarcerated in Azkaban. As usual, Sirius put on the charm, played up the part and was lucky to "cop-a-feel" over Hermione's rear as he strategically placed it there to keep her on his lap during the interview.

With a friendly good-bye, and one more chance to have Sirius take Rita up on drinks when he was free, the blabbering reporter left with her photographer in tow.

"Well, that went horribly." Hermione said, standing up from Sirius's lap. He remained in the seat, tilting his head back and letting his dark locks fall behind his shoulders.

"Not necessarily. It cleared a bit up, and now I'm sure the Ministry might start kissing our arses over it. Don't worry." He charmed, grinning up at her and reaching for her hand.

"And the nerve of that woman! Flirting with you, right in front of me." She let him take her hand in his and gently squeezed it, "She had no shame."

Sirius feigned shock, "Why Hermione, would we be jealous?"

"No." she quietly said, looking away from him and focusing on a paper on her desk.

"I think you were…" he purred, "But, not to worry, I wouldn't touch her with even Draco's dirty wand."

Hermione turned her head to hide her smile, secretly pleased.

"Come on, let's go get lunch." He suggested, standing up and tugging her behind him.

"I can't, Sirius. I've got a lot of work to catch up on. We've got this lead that Narcissa-"

"No, no. Break now. Don't make me carry you out of here. I want to have lunch with you and you have no say in it." He smiled, shaking his head to allow his pretty dark locks to flick around his face.

Hermione managed to get playfully dragged along the corridor of her office, standing quite the opposite of her "husband". Sirius trucked along in fitted leather pants, fresh from riding his motorcycle, blue t-shirt, jean jacket and boots. Whereas, Hermione balanced well being tugged along in medium heels, knee's length A-line purple skirt and a white short sleeved button up shirt. While playfully fighting against him, Sirius protested that he was taking her out to lunch to a few familiar faces that he knew, like Kingsley Shaklebot.

Hermione was passing her boss's door, when she reached out to grab it. She pulled against Sirius, forcing him to stop suddenly. She stuck her head in the doorway, "My husband is taking me out to lunch. Is that okay?" she smiled when she glanced over at Sirius who was making impatient sounds.

Her boss nodded, not saying too much other than to be back on time and with the final words, Sirius pulled her to him, threw his arm around her waist and held her tight against him.

Later that evening, back at home, Sirius and Hermione had kept their new routine of reading together at the end of the night. Just like Saturday, they did it from Sirius's room, rather than the couch. Hermione enjoyed having his company next to her when she read and felt no threat of being taken advantage of, while lying in the Lion's Den. They were comfortable enough with this routine to not ask for anything more, and Hermione would return to her own bedroom whenever one started to nod off.

Hermione closed her book and glanced over at Sirius who was finishing up the last sentence he was on, before looking back at her. Once he did, she sat up and took a deep breath to ready herself. She had been mentally planning her next move all day. She thought about how she would go about it, how he might take it, and hoped it wouldn't go in the wrong direction.

So, as she sat up and collected herself to leave, she slowly leaned over and placed a gentle chaste kiss on his cheek, causing him to close his eyes from the feather-like touch of her lips.

When Sirius looked over and saw her coming in, he had no idea what she was going to do. For a few seconds, he thought she might just be fluffing up his pillow or leaning in to say something. Never would he think that she was going to make the sincere effort to leave a kiss on his cheek. He felt a light flutter in his chest which he couldn't explain and felt, slightly, foolish to even be thinking anything for this girl.

She leaned back with a slight curve in her lips and began to slowly slide off the bed to leave. In a fraction of a second, Sirius decided that he needed to stall her. See her longer. Smell her scent. Without thinking, he quickly reached out, dropping his book on his chest, and took her hand, before it was completely out of his grasp. She stopped and glanced over at him, waiting for him to say something.

Sirius just looked at her, afraid of what might actually leave his lips once he allowed them to speak. Up until now, he was full of witty innuendos, but until she pressed forward and offered him that innocent kiss on the cheek, his brain was as blank as the soul of prisoner after a Dementor's Kiss. Nothing intelligent came to mind that would convince her otherwise to stay.

"Don't go." He whispered in an unsteady voice.

Hermione locked eyes with him, mentally scolding herself for making such a bold move on him. Her body stilled, waiting for him to continue, as her pulse started to throb in her throat. Surely, he wasn't serious.

"Stay here, tonight." He rasped, his voice straining to keep up with his thoughts, trying to form a decent sentence.

She smiled, but it quickly faltered, afraid she wasn't hearing it right, "What?"

"Stay with me, tonight. Like the way you did Saturday, night." He smirked and added, "I'll be a perfect gentleman."

Hermione looked away, as if thoroughly thinking of the damage it might do, if she did stay. She wasn't sure if she could willingly stay there, not touch him and have a pleasant nights sleep.

She stood up from the bed and hesitantly replied, "I can't."

In a second, Sirius felt his heart fall. He was so close to feeling the heat that radiated off her skin like a soothing kettle that he felt he said too much. He had scared her away. He had grown so accustomed to having her in the house, he was sure it wasn't going to be easy after this arrangement was over. Ever since he found the letter from her parents, lying on the kitchen counter inviting her home for the weekend for a "breather" as they called it, it finally donned on him that they weren't really married.

They lived a nice life together, but only as friends; only as secure and comfortable roommates. He felt that the two had an undeclared, indecisive chemistry, but was weary about bringing it up. He felt a subtle burning from her eyes whenever she got a good look at him and it sent him reeling. He felt vulnerable around her, like he would do anything she asked, if only….she'd ask. It was one thing to break the rules and initiate something with her, she being twenty-one years his junior. But, it had already been established that he wasn't like Remus. He wasn't in his right mind of being someone about to embrace the age of forty; he'd been cheated, lied to and thrown away to be forgotten. Since he'd returned from the Veil, he promised himself to try and recapture those lost years with grace, dignity and "fucking" style, as he called it.

He was going to live his life the way he wanted, in the manner of his choosing. He'd cat around the way he always wanted, he'd drink until he passed out, party with the best of them, defend anyone that was on his side, and gladly sacrifice himself for Harry or anyone else in the Order.

It was a hectic life to lead, from an outside eye, but what plagued him the most was how dramatically it had changed in only two months. Seen only as an assignment, he Sirius was learning a great deal about himself and even more about a person that was, literally, thrown at him. As it was pointed out to him, just that weekend, he was finally learning to look inside the box, rather than just its exterior. What he thought he needed was turning out to not be what he wanted.

And here it stood, unable to put into words, the fact that he had just asked Hermione to spend the night with him with no strings attached. He craved the warmth of the female flesh, yes, but in Hermione it was something else, something much more. Something almost wholesome. She walked her walk, but not in a slinky way he so often followed. She blushed, but not after a dirty proposition. She laughed, but never at him. She was just Hermione.

Hermione returned to her own room, dashing to the door the second she rounded the corner into the hallway. She quickly stepped inside, shut her door and dropped her book. She felt her hands beginning to tremble, her stomach beginning to churn and her lips beginning to redden as she bit them hard to suppress her giddiness.

She paced the area in front of her bed, half wanting to just crawl into it and hide under the covers, the other wanting so desperately to go back into his room and take him up on his offer. But, it was rash. It was wrong. It was a bad idea. No one would understand.

_But, then again, that was the idea. What better way to convince them, then for it to be real? _

Hermione entertained the idea for a little longer, wondering if Mr. Black would have been as gentlemanly as he said he would. Finally allowing the right decision to win, she climbed into her own bed, pulled the covers up by her face and slowly allowed herself to drift off to sleep as she cursed herself for leaving his room in the first place.


	10. Patience is a Virtue

A/N: And I'm off…..another chapter uploaded. You may ask yourself, "How is it this girl updates so quickly?" The answer is simple: School's out for summer. I've decided NOT to take summer classes to give my brain a mental break, catch up on work that will be overloading me in the Fall, get some fanfiction done, get ready for LUMOS in Las Vegas…and well, more ;)

Thanks again, for your encouraging reviews. I can't tell you how much of a pleasure it is to see that I've got, yet, another new reader, another added comment and another saying "Get on with them already!" ;)

I'm so absolutely THRILLED that I've been able to turn a new lot into Hermione/Sirius shippers. They're a good pairing, if written with taste, and Sirius Black…is…well…so do-able ;) Someone's got to do him, why not Hermione? Enjoy.

This chapter doesn't read that well for me, but I posted it after a good beta, anyway. It's a bit sloppy in places, in my opinion and some of it didn't flow for me. Hopefully, you lot will have a different opinion of it. I hope you enjoy it and with one last thing before you skip this and read on: Patience is a virtue. you horn balls

This chapter is dedicated to: "Betrothed" and "your belladonna" – your reviews crack me up and are helpful.

**Chapter 10 **

"I knew that wicked, vile woman was going to do this." Hermione shouted through the flat.

She had just gotten around to reading the story that Rita Skeeter had written about the couple and it was not very friendly towards her. Again, Sirius was looked upon like the golden child that she so dearly loved, rubbing her flirtations in black, white and parchment.

"It's not that bad, love," Sirius chuckled, walking after Hermione and perusing the story again. He threw himself out of her way as she flew down the hallway in anger and looking for her favorite red t-shirt.

"Not that bad? Sirius, she was just shy of calling me a tart! 'Like many before him, Hermione Granger, now Black, looked at Sirius as a ticket to fame and celebrity status.' Please, as if I want to hang on your coat tails." She mocked, quoting the story and going between her and Sirius's rooms.

Sirius froze for a moment in thought, not sure if he was to be offended by her remark. Regardless, he shook his head and smiled, "Darling, do you want me to send her an owl?"

"No, I don't want you to send her an owl. I wouldn't give her the time of day, let alone have you write her an owl to make her change her story. She's just jealous, that's all."

"That bitch." He mocked, trying to tease her like a girlfriend of hers.

She quickly turned on him, glaring at him with eyes like daggers, not at all amused by his joke. Only, she wasn't able to hold her mean face long enough for it to be effective and quickly cracked and looked away at him, trying to shield herself.

"See, come out and relieve your frustration with us." He suggested, asking Hermione, again, to go out with he, Remus and Harry to the Leaky Cauldron.

She shook her head, "No, you're siding with her. I can't be seen with you, now." She joked, carefully folding her coat into her backpack.

"Come on, just one or two pints? You'll be gone all weekend." Sirius requested not begged, requested.

Hermione threw her bag over her shoulder that contained her things she'd needed for the weekend away at her parents, which was conveniently two blocks from the Leaky Cauldron. There was always an open invite to Sirius, but he knew better than to go into her family's house, considering the situation that their only daughter was forced to marry an older wizard that they did not approve of. Hermione had left a lot of the details out, but they understood that if she was to marry anyone, an ex-con would be the perfect protector.

Hermione just smiled, amused by his pathetic plea to get her to come with him to the pub, that she had no choice but to give in. She joined Remus, Harry and Sirius, feeling quite comfortable as always, as being the odd girl out. As the hour passed, Hermione kept glancing down at her watch to make sure she wasn't too overdue at her parents.

Hermione slammed down her pint glass, licking her lips of the remnants of butterbeer, and quietly giggled, charmed by Harry's joke.

"Well, I've got to get going, boys. As much as I wish I could stay, my parents are expecting me." She said, standing up from her chair and slinging her bag back over her shoulder. She flashed a quick glance over at Sirius as a good-bye, hoping to get one of his flirtatious winks.

"One more round, then you can go." Sirius added, abruptly standing from his own seat to make way to the bar to order another round, before she could protest.

"No, really, I am going. Harry, Remus keep an eye on my husband for me."

Sirius saw Hermione turning to leave, despite his disapproval. He quickly moved to her side and reached out for her hand, "How are you getting there?"

Hermione smiled to the handsome man that grew more and more concerned for her well being, "I'm going to walk, of course. It's only a few blocks. I'll be fine."

"Can't you apparate?"

"No, my parents might have company. It's fine. Now, good night, I'll see you on Sunday." She confirmed, petting his cheek with an open palm. She quickly turned around, letting her brown curls bounce on her back and walked towards the door.

Sirius watched her disappear behind the wooden pub door, trying to suppress the little voice in his head that told him to go after her. _She really shouldn't be alone._

Within seconds, Sirius was reaching over past Harry and grabbing his jacket and dashing out the door to catch up with her.

He pressed through the doors and saw her walking past the pub windows that were invisible to the muggle eye. "Come on, I'll take you." He called, standing on the sidewalk and watching her turn around.

Seeing him follow her out made her heart absolutely melt. He was deeply concerned for her. It wasn't a matter of where she was going; she believed it was the matter of her just leaving him. She shook her head lightly, but he was already walking around the corner to his motorcycle.

Hermione dropped her guard, finally surrendering to his insistence and followed him to his bike. He was already mounting it and putting on his gloves when he looked up to see her rest her hand on his shoulder and swing her leg over the bike behind him.

Only having done this once before, she forgot where the proper places to put her hands were, when he reached back and pulled them to him, wrapping them around his waist.

"Hold tight, because I don't want to lose you." He charmed, tilting his head enough to give her a wink.

Without any objection, she did what she was told and pushed herself tight to him, pressing her cheek against the leather of his jacket. He started the engine, revving it up to give it some gas and as he pushed off to start down the street, she lifted her chin to rest it on his shoulder, next to his cheek.

Like before, she felt the wind whip her hair around her and closed her eyes to avoid a swift snap in the face. She held Sirius tighter, inhaling his aroma, compiled of leather, cigarettes, sage and magic. Her imagination began to carry her into a hypnotic trance, where she started to feel incredibly bold and daring. With a slow gesture, she managed to move her hand flat against Sirius's stomach, feeling the firmness hidden under his t-shirt.

They stopped at a red light, one block from Hermione's parents' street and Sirius ran his leather gloved hand over hers, over his stomach. Her gesture was subtle, as was his when he squeezed her hand. Once the light turned green, his hand returned to the handle, leaving Hermione pining for his gentle touch, again. The vibrations of the bike between her legs were so soothing, that it caused an erotic awareness to begin deep and low within her. She tried to put the sensation out of her mind, but the way he felt under her fingers and arms, his firm strong physique, was enough to stir something in her

Lost in her imagination, she opened her eyes and furrowed her brow when the bike started to slow down and finally stop outside of her childhood house. She waited until the engine was off, before letting go of him, savory every moment she had to be pressed up against him.

As Hermione got off the bike, Sirius stayed on and glanced up at the big house behind her on the quiet street. His eyes lingered on its door and its little front porch, envying it in a way that it knew her every secret growing up. Secrets he discovered he yearned to know, but until he was able to figure what it was he wanted from her, he wasn't going to learn any.

Sirius returned to his normal character and flicked his head back to toss his hair away from his eyes, "So, you'll be back home on Sunday?"

Hermione nodded; saddened that she was going to have to go two whole days without seeing, hearing or touching him. "Yes, probably around dinner time."

Sirius suddenly felt awkward, like the way one does when saying good night after a first date. He felt his fingers beginning to tingle under his leather gloves and his heart began to pick up it's pace. He felt so foolish acting this way over her. She was just his roommate, his partner in the Order and she just happened to start to develop a little crush on him. It couldn't have been him. It was just that she was such an insanely clever witch that she was able to bewitch him into feeling like a fumbling school boy.

_Clever witch._

For a fleeting moment, Hermione jumped at the chance to keep him longer and offered for him to come inside and join them for dinner. Sirius smiled, his eyes falling down to the sidewalk as her intent stare was becoming too much for him that moment and he focused on a couple of weeds beginning to break through the cracks.

"No thank you, love. I'm going to go back to the guys and drink the night away. You go in and visit with your family." He sighed, reaching up to grip his handlebars to otherwise occupy him from his rambling thoughts. He really didn't want to leave her.

Her smile faded as she whispered, "But, you're my family, too, Sirius." His eyes lifted back up to hers, listening to hear every syllable. "You're also the first one I see in the morning and the last one before I go to bed. You make me feel safe."

That's what he needed to move forward. She'd said enough for him. His own two ears had heard and from deep within his loins, an exhilarating rush flew to his finger tips, causing a ripple of nerves up his spine. His gloved hands were quick as they reached out for her soft angelic face and pulled her to him.

Before he touched her, he whispered, "If I'm out of line, just tell me."

Sirius finally crushed his lips against hers; pressing against them for what felt like hours. He waited for her to pull away, but instead, felt her relax under his grip and submit to him, completely, breaking down walls.

As if rehearsing for this her entire life, Hermione slowly moved her lips against Sirius's, quietly dancing to a rhythm all of their own. He was cautious and gentle, careful not to try her too hard or too fast, too soon. With the speed of a rushing snail, he caressed her moist lips with his own, mentally committing them to memory, to better perfect this very same kiss when she returned home on Sunday.

He pulled away to breathe, as the woman had sucked the very life from him, giving her the chance to end the kiss right then and there. To his surprise, she went at him again, never opening her eyes; for fear that she might break the method of precise concentration to get this right.

By touching him again, she could feel the pent up frustration she had harbored for him, slowly melting away. The frustration had turned into admiration and the admiration was turning into lust. Her skin felt extremely sensitive a she felt his hands leave her face and slowly wrap around her slender waist.

He was gentle for their first kiss, but aggressive enough to show that he really wanted it. It was no longer a matter of being too careful, wondering what others would say; if anyone had witnessed the pair at the moment, they would look completely normal. Completely in tune with one another, completely smitten and, completely falling in love.

Hermione reached a hand up to touch Sirius's face, cherishing the coarse feeling of his stubble over her finger tips. The touch made him real to her, like he was no longer something that she watched from afar. Now, under her very hands, she was intimately stroking the neck of the notorious Sirius Black.

Sirius could feel his heart about to burst from his chest with the heavy anticipation of this kiss. It had been a long time coming, but he had to sit in silence and wait. Hoping that she wouldn't notice his eyes lingering on her longer than what was deemed normal, or the way he'd tilt his head if he thought he might get a glimpse of her thighs when she'd bend over in those skirts, or last, but not least, the rush of excitement he'd get whenever he'd catch her padding around in her bare feet. She had such pretty little feet.

Now, within his clutches he felt her lips part and with all his craft and skill, slipped his tongue into her mouth. She allowed him to deepen the kiss with the rhythm of a romantic movie score, listening to the sounds around them settle.

As he kissed her lips, savoring their sweet taste, Sirius remembered that no matter what they did at that moment, it wasn't going to end on a good note for them physically. She had already promised to spend the weekend with her parents and it would be too irresponsible to ask her to reconsider. She needed this time away, time with her own kind, so that she could come back home to him, thought out and refreshed.

He felt her hands run down the front of his shirt, gripping the fabric in anticipation of what move he might make on her next. He could feel her energy building up with him and knew that he needed to make the diplomatic decision to extinguish it. He reached up and gripped her hands that were clutching onto him as if he were her only bit of salvation left and slowly tore his lips away from hers.

He could hear his own voice panting with quiet whispers, suggesting them to slow down. Knowing that it might not have been what they wanted to do, it was inevitable that they were both going to walk away completely unsatisfied.

Hermione tilted her head down and pressed her forehead against his, listening to his soft whispers. She finally opened her eyes, and looked down at his gloved hands holding hers. She leaned against him, nuzzling her face in his neck, mentally begging for him to hold her. He heard her quiet pleas and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her to him close and tight, like a true protector.

His hand reached up and he tangled his fingers in her curls, cherishing the silky texture. His mouth laid small kisses around her earlobe, her cheekbone and up to her temple, loving the feeling of holding her in his arms. Never had he felt so connected with a woman, that he felt that by holding her until the rest of his days, would be satisfying enough. It wasn't something he had hoped to do, as his more sinister imagination was already picturing her clothes scattered around his bed.

He turned his face towards hers again, leaving a kiss on the bridge of her nose and whispered, "I'll see you on, Sunday."

Hermione furrowed her brow, not wanting to leave the embrace of his strong arms, now that she had finally found her way into them. She nodded and reluctantly pulled away from him. She managed to take a few steps away from the bike, to see him bow his head with his gorgeous dark eyes peeking from under his soft black hair that fell in his face like a set of curtains.

She pulled her hands away from him, letting him playfully hold onto them for a few more seconds. She slowly turned away to walk up the stairs to her parent's porch. She glanced back once more, watching him start up his bike. She finally made the long walk of the mile to her to the door and gave him a small wave. With another wink, he took off down the street, with the sound of the engine echoing off the houses.

Sirius revved his engine hard and strong, ready to take off down the street to go back to the pub to celebrate this new endeavor. His bike flew down the roads, barely inches from the ground. He howled into the cold brisk air as the wind hit his face; his insides burning, his stomach was nauseous and his loins were on fire. He hadn't words to express the exhilaration he got when he kissed her, he just knew that everything was going to change and his first instincts were good. He and Hermione had some exploring to do, and by god, he was feeling adventurous.

He pulled his bike back into the alleyway of the Leaky Cauldron, parking it in the same spot as he always did and walked back into the pub, barking with laughter. Just where he had left him, Remus sat at the table with his glass only half filled.

He walked up to the table with a new swagger, dropping his coat over the empty chair, "Moony, where's Harry?"

"He's gone home. Said he'd see you tomorrow and to bring your broom."

Sirius clapped his hands together, eager to get his drinking back on and shouted at the bartender for a couple of pints and two fire whisky shots. He plopped his anxious body back into the chair and slumped down, kicking one leg up on the table.

"What's gotten into you? I understand that you're excited to be alone this weekend, but really she just left. Try to hide your enthusiasm at least a little."

Sirius threw his head back and barked with laughter, "No, Moony, my friend, that's not it."

Remus lifted an eyebrow at his long time friend, curious to what he was going on about.

Sirius ran a hand through his hair and proudly said, "Moony, for the first time tonight, I finally kissed my wife!"


	11. But, There's a Catch

A/N: This chapter is rated Mature, the content is PG13. I have, however, edited this chapter for and the author's cut can be read at my live journal. Rest assured that even the edited one still reads the same (this is just the beginning of the edited/author's cut as it will probably be for the rest of the story. For this chapter, however, only one paragraph was taken out).

I thank each and every reader for taking the time for this story. The helpful comments (and compliments) definitely help me with loopholes, the pace, the reality of it, and most of all – the plot! I hope I clarified some things for some of you that pointed out my errors and it's given me some great ideas. Thank you!

This chapter is dedicated to: isnani and Melika Elena

Chapter 11

Against her own will, visions of Padfoot danced in her head. For the entire weekend, Hermione found herself fading off to another dimension as she kept replaying Sirius's kiss over and over in her head. The way he touched her check with rough, but gentle hands; the way she felt his chest sigh against her, and the way his breath felt hot on her neck. He was something just short of a fantasy, and she never knew that anyone could feel this way to her. It wasn't love, no, too early. Perhaps it was just lust. Or, maybe it was need and desire. Somehow she felt like the ball wasn't in her court, but exactly in the middle between them.

It'd been so long since she'd felt the affections from another, not as long as him, she was sure, but it was the way he touched her that sent her reeling. The constant attention to detail that he paid, worshiping her lips as if they were a prized possession alone. In the middle of all this hatred, this worry, this war, this necessity of marriage for the sake of staying protected, Sirius had made her feel wanted and beautiful.

_Eat your heart out Rita Skeeter._

Finally being back with her parents after two months, she tried to have a nice visit with her family, but every time her mother or father would ask how things were at home, she'd just drift off again. Her parents were concerned for this arrangement, having not gotten to know their son-in-law properly before the expedited marriage. Hermione's father was still getting used to the idea of a man only ten years his junior married to his only daughter. They had attended the ceremony, but it wasn't a proper send off from the family the way that they had hoped. They told close family friends and relatives that Hermione had eloped with a school chum and had wanted it to be small and private. Her parents were explained to about the arrangement in great detail, having no choice but to accept it for the safety of their daughter.

They had welcomed the wizarding world, but they didn't always understand it.

Regardless, Sirius tried to show the utmost respect for her family, knowing that this wasn't their wish. He knew when he shouldn't be around and found no insult if he wasn't invited to certain functions. After all, it was just an arrangement.

Sunday evening, Hermione apparated back home into her living room and expected to find a lounging Sirius on the couch. To her disappointment, he was nowhere to be found in the flat. She dropped her coat and bag on the couch and ventured into the kitchen to start something to eat, in case he was about to walk in at anytime. She enjoyed the idea of cooking for him and wanted to get a head start if nothing else was planned.

When she entered the kitchen she saw a note lying on the counter. Hermione smiled and childishly bit her lip elated that he was thinking of her. She had only hoped that he had spent as much time going over the moment outside her parent's house, as she did.

_Hermione,_

_Welcome home. Hope your weekend was well, but I'll ask you that when I see you. Go and get dressed (preferably in that pretty blue dress I know you have) and meet me at The Forge for dinner at 8pm. If you don't show up, I'll just have to eat dinner all by myself and probably end up at a pub. So, do us both a favor and meet me._

_Sirius_

Hermione did all she could to conceal a rather girlish squeal. She had to remember that she was still eighteen and was allowed, from time to time, to get away with such immaturity. Regardless, she quickly turned on her heel to run and get ready for dinner.

Five minutes before eight o'clock, she apparated into Hogsmeade a few feet from the front entrance to the classy restaurant. She took out a mirror from her purse and did a once over, making sure her make-up was still in place and her hair still looked all right. She didn't usually go all out like this, but for tonight, she felt like it deserved extra attention. She closed the compact and slid it back into her small purse and nervously smoothed out the skirt of her dress, before taking a deep breath and walking inside.

The host smiled at the pretty young witch that wore the knee's length blue dress with purple accented straps and empire waist. He politely bowed to her, greeting her with a bright smile and welcoming her to the restaurant.

"Good evening, Miss. Will you be joining us for dinner, tonight?" his crisp Irish accent spoke as if he started it.

She smiled, shaking her head and thanking him, "I'm meeting someone here, tonight."

"Your name, Miss?" he asked standing back behind his little podium and looking over a list of reservations.

"Hermione Grang-" She caught herself for a moment and corrected, "Black."

He repeated the last name, looking over his list, furrowing his brow in thought of who she was meeting.

"I'm meeting my husband, Sirius Black."

The host paused and slowly looked up from his list, as if she had just threatened his life. "Sirius Black?" he nearly whispered, "Yes, please, of course, right this way."

She followed him through the dark decorative archway, stepping down to a large cozy room with tables for two lining a small enchanted dance floor of water. Overhead the ceiling was also bewitched with a clear sky and hundreds of stars sparkling about like diamonds. The host took her around the far end of the dance floor, coming upon a candlelit table where a handsome man with dark hair sat with a hand poised at his chin as his elbow rested on the table. Completely unaware that she was coming closer, she could see that he looked quite pensive. Something drew his attention to her direction as the host presented her to Sirius, pulling out her chair. Sirius stood, flashing a dazzling smile and allowed the host to push in her chair. He wasn't sure how to greet her, kiss her or take her hand, so he allowed the host to be the reason for his lack of displayed affection.

"Thanks for meeting me, tonight." He began, picking up his menu to read it over.

"Well, you really left me no choice," she smiled, eyes down into the menu and a small grin starting to spread across her lips. She was going to try and be cheeky, but really her insides were fluttering like butterflies, trying to break from their cages. "It was either meeting you or have you come home drunk."

"Yes, good choice." Sirius nodded, admitting that it was a rather good jab and continued to look over the menu. After the waiter took their order, a bottle of wine was served and Sirius glanced over at the dance floor that was now a gentle current.

"Would you do me the pleasure?" he asked standing up and holding out his hand.

Her eyes scanned the length of his body, until she met his eyes. She smiled wider for him as she admired his black fitted jacket with silver buttons and the slim black pants that wore on him like a model. His hair was perfectly straight and his uneven layers framed his face, just touching his shoulders. To her, he looked like a wicked dark prince and she knew he had done that for her.

He took her arm and linked it through his, patting her hand as he led her out onto the dance floor. She felt herself absolutely beaming, cherishing the kind gentleman that she never knew harbored in him. They passed a few tables and she could already hear the whispers about Sirius and his muggleborn wife, but she didn't let it get to her. Sirius held her hand for as long as he could, before stepping away and taking the proper stance to take her waist.

The two flowed through the music at a slow pace, their eyes catching the blue hue of the cascading waters underneath their feet. The dance floor started to crowd as several onlookers passed them in their waltz, glancing over at the ex-con and young witch.

Thanks to Rita Skeeter, the wizarding world knew all about their courtship and union. Rita had romanticized Sirius, calling him a "wronged prisoner returning to a life of incarceration" regarding his new committed marriage. Several follow-up stories had emerged as they followed the tale of the most notorious Azkaban prisoner and Harry Potter's best friend had married, offering teasers that he still remained Harry's godfather and guardian. Some thought it was scandalous, others thought it to be romantic, several were just bitter about the handsome rebel losing his single status.

As the stories came out, Sirius would cut them out and leave them around entitling them "comedy works" by Rita Skeeter. He knew that Hermione was past it, not really too concerned for what the papers said about her at this point. Unless she wanted to call Luna up and do an interview for the Quibbler, no one was going to get the honest truth. It wasn't worth her time, or her concern and she hardly batted an eyelash anymore.

Still, the constant whispers behind her back were starting to get annoying, but whenever Sirius would flash her kind glance, or a sincere smile, she knew not to worry. Being the center of attention wasn't as attractive to Hermione as Sirius, and like Harry, sometimes wished that it just went away. Sensing her uneasiness as a few dancers made their looks less obvious, Sirius ended their dance and was eager to return Hermione to their table, where their salads had arrived.

"I would never have thought that you would be a great dancer." She smiled, taking a bite of her Caesar salad.

Sirius smiled kindly and started a short nostalgic trip, "When I was ten, my cousin Andromeda and I, Tonk's mom, would pretend to be professional ballroom dancers. We got pretty good for awhile there, until Bellatrix and Narcissa started to hide about and hex us, bewitching our shoes to dance quite erratically. We never seemed to be able to hide from them and just decided that it wasn't worth it, anymore." He got quiet for a moment, as his thoughts started to fall on his favorite cousin. "What I wouldn't do to dance with her, one more time."

Hermione watched how this overconfident being started to falter. He slowed down his eating, beginning to push his lettuce around on his plate and blink his eyes furiously as he thought about his cousin's painful death. Hermione saw this as a good opportunity to reach out to him, showing him that their arranged marriage still had to be a kind of partnership and trust. Allowing him to see how she felt about his family issues, might help him open up.

Hermione laid down her fork and leaned across the table, extending her open palm next to the hand that clutched onto his fork. He looked up from his thoughts and saw how deeply concerned for him, she appeared to be. It'd been a long time since a woman had truly extended sincere thoughts to him, and was greatly appreciative of her support. He put down his fork and took her hand, squeezing it for a few seconds before letting go and silently thanking her.

After dinner, they strolled through the lively streets of Hogsmeade together. Hermione linking her arm through his, only to slowly let it fall into his waiting open hand to hold. She tingled. She felt exhilarated. She felt peace and security all at once, that this was right. As if she was a single puzzle piece waiting to find its match, she felt that way the second her hand affectionately fell into Sirius's grasp to hold. With a swift move, he interlaced their fingers without even batting an eyelash as he commented on something he saw in the window of one of the shops. She pressed her body close to him, wishing he could somehow hold her hand and wrap an arm around her, but the logistics of it weren't possible.

The expectation of the evening was finally granted to her and it was when she least expected it. Their night had come to an end, calling it early due to Hermione working in the morning and Sirius had wrapped an arm around her to apparate them home. Once she was pulled in, he lifted her chin with his finger and finally came in to touch her sweet lips for the first time that evening. She closed her eyes the second they were united and when she felt the twisting and pulling feeling of the location change, she reached up to grip his jacket tighter, fearing that she might be pulled apart from him.

She felt her hair whip around her head, his coarse chin lightly scraped against her cheek and her stomach insides knotted up with the exhilarating feeling of being apparated. Never had she thought her toes could tingle as much as they were, once they were suddenly grounded back in their flat. The wind around them seemed to still, the sounds filling their ears were that of their quiet home, their inhibitions quickly leaving them.

His kiss started out gentle and sincere, but the moment he realized no eyes were on them, he found his inner animal slowly starting to break through. Like the crescendo of an orchestra, he felt his heart beginning to throb within his chest. Her skin felt like silk to him as he tore his lips away from her mouth to leave soft kisses down her jaw and around her neck. His arms wrapped around her, feeling the weak fabric under his fingers, protecting her like a holy sheet. Easy enough to rip from her body, but scandalous to do so. She welcomed his fevered touch over her like a well awaited ceremonial homecoming. She had enough pent up frustration in her from the weekend that her imagination allowed him to do with her what he pleased. Granted, this evening would have to see the end of it soon, or she was sure to lose all sense of responsibility and give herself to him, body, mind and soul, too early.

"I practically counted the seconds you were away." He whispered by her ear as he nipped at her lobe.

Hermione quickly inhaled with the erotic bite that his words were enough to unravel her. "Why did it take you so long to kiss me, tonight?"

He pulled away to look down at her, his eyes narrowed like that of hunter looking upon his prey, a slight mischievous grin met his lips and he whispered, "Anticipation is a turn on for me."

Her lips parted in absolute awe of him. The way his eyes met hers, the way his mouth was so perfect, the way her chin quivered for him, she just shook her head. "Oh, this just won't work, then."

His grin turned into a smile and he went to taste those lips again, carefully committing each lap, each caress and every tease of her tongue to memory. He could taste the remnants of wine on her breath and as he felt her hands open up his jacket, he pulled away to playfully bite her neck. Her hands stilled as they pressed against his chest, finding her breath, once again, escaping her lungs with his very raw touch.

How he loved the way she started to become freer with her touches that he mentally smiled to himself that they were going to be a beautiful union together.

The tiny rapping began to fill Sirius's ears like conga drums and he had no choice but to tear his passion away from this woman and answer it. Completely unaware, she felt Sirius release her and walk into the kitchen to answer the window. She saw a small owl, with his leg sticking out, offering a note for Sirius.

Shaking herself off from the rapture, she adjusted her dress and raised her chin to go into the kitchen and hear what the note had to say. She watched as Sirius shrugged off his coat and laid it over the chair at the table, before reaching for the note the owl offered. Hermione's dark eyes trailed down his backside, envisioning a half naked Sirius who's muscles harbored under the pressed shirt he wore, standing before her in only pants. In a matter of seconds, she thought, this might become a reality if his concentration wasn't broken.

She leaned against the doorway, her head resting against it in a dreamlike trance. She watched him take the note from the owl's leg and offer it a treat. As it flew away, Sirius opened the note and let his eyes scan over the importance of it.

He folded it back up and tossed it back on the counter, "Order meeting tomorrow night."

His raspy voice whispered and returned to his place right in front of her, taking her up in his arms as if there were no interruption and revisited the spot on her neck he had briefly vacated. His hands squeezed her waist under his grasp and then moved to the buttons on his own shirt. With expedited haste, he had half of his shirt undone and his glorified tattooed chest partially exposed before her. Her eyes fell on him, her lips parting, absolutely elated with the idea that her vision was about to come true.

She reached up to run her nails lightly down his chest, feeling the smoothness of his skin interrupted by permanent pen art. His lips were over hers again, tearing at her mouth and quenching his thirst for her. His breathing started to become erratic and the very rawness of him forced her to see them from an outside eye. She felt his arms move as they pulled his shirt from his pants, leaving it to hang open. His hands cupped her face, slowing himself down and savoring her delicate lips. They were quickly entering the point of no return.

She could feel his fingers begin to tangle in her hair, controlling the way her neck moved for him to offer more exposure to her naked long neck. His other hand carefully played with the loose straps of her dress, letting them fall down her shoulders to tease her possible uncovering. Her hands ran over his chest and over the fabric of his discarded shirt. She gripped it as she kissed him and forced herself to tear her lips from his. He occupied himself with the skin under her ear as he listened to her whispers.

"Sirius," she practically panted, "You know I can't sleep with you."

A sound erupted from him that had to have started from the pit of his stomach that could only be explained as a human growl. He nipped at her neck in protest and whispered, "Ever?"

She smiled as his chin tickled her sensitive skin, "No, not ever." She breathed, "Just not, tonight."

He slowed his affections and reluctantly pulled himself to look at her. He raised a hand to cup her chin as if to examine whatever it was she was thinking, but he knew.

"I just don't think I'm ready for you, yet." She whispered, bowing her eyes in guilt. She felt like she needed to be true to herself, and honest with him. He was something she'd never experienced before and knew that as bad as she wanted to feel his hips thrusting against her thighs, that she wasn't ready for the greatness that was him.

He closed his eyes, accepting her answer and left a kiss on her forehead.

_Clever witch._

She wasn't teasing him, he was just moving too fast for what she was used to. She'd played the game, up until this point and she had played fairly, but it was Sirius who was trying to put the game into overtime too early. He knew he'd have his chance with her, she had all but vocally said it. Her body wanted him. Her mind wanted him. Her affections had granted him permission and now, he had to play fair, play by new rules, and allow her to be in control.

_She would come to him._

Giving into one more slow and sensual kiss, Hermione bid him good night and retired to her own bedroom, alone. She didn't feel it was necessary to draw it out any longer, because as much as she was cheating herself of a good release from him, she wasn't lying when she told him she wasn't ready for him. She took one more glance back at him, before closing her door and smiled. He looked ever so handsome standing there in his thoughts of emotions and hunger, that she felt guilty to lead him on. But, she had to make the responsible decision to let him go for the night, to not egg it on further, creating a snowball of lust and resentment.

She would go to him, but for now, she needed to take it all in. Take him in. He'd been able to reach inside of her and bring out someone she'd always wanted to be, but maybe it was someone she only wanted to be with him. Whatever it was, it needed to simmer. Tomorrow was a new day, another day to move forward with him, another day to let him think, and another day to fantasize about him through the touches of her fingers until she was strong enough to let him do it himself.

Deep in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, the Order of the Phoenix sat around the table ready to start their meeting. Sirius sat at the head of it, his chair tipped back on the strongest of two legs, with one eye on Snape, incase he quietly murmured anything under his breath to cause the ancient chair to act on it's own accord, again.

Hermione sat two spots away, next to Harry and Ginny, carefully going over her hastily scribbled notes she'd brought with her. They were awaiting a few more members and made small talk over Molly's cooking as the intoxicating smell of simmering vegetables filled the room of witches and wizards.

Hermione glanced over at Sirius for a moment under fallen curls and saw him staring up at the ceiling like an A.D.D. child, completely oblivious to Snape looking at him, absolutely repulsed. She grinned and averted her eyes back to her notes as a warm feeling trickled down her spine. He made her smile. He hadn't done anything and he had made her smile. It was an excellent feeling in the middle of what they were experiencing outside and what they were about to hear.

Remus cleared his throat, catching everyone's attention at the table and those standing around just talking as they waited for the meeting to begin. Nodding to the group and thanking them for coming, he started with old business of what the latest update was regarding their latest positions.

"Kinsley has come to discover that there have been random kidnappings of muggles living around the more wizard neighborhoods outside Oxford. The muggle officials are seeing it as a cult sacrifice and the Prime Minister has been in contact with the Headmistress regarding its cover up. Minimal mind erasing has been needed, but a few wizards that stepped in to help, non Order members, of course, weren't as lucky." Remus bowed his head in thought, "They've had to add a new wing to St. Mungo's after this tragedy."

The room started to murmur in a quiet discussion before Remus began to talk again, "Tonks was lucky to discover that Bellatrix Lestrange-"

"Wicked Bitch." Sirius barked under his breath.

Snape sat next to him and chuckled to himself, amused with Sirius's little outburst.

"Sod off, Snivelous." He growled, casting eyes on him so dark that they would have burned his flesh if he wasn't clothed in heavy black robes. "Everyone knows you have a weak spot for the followers."

"Don't talk out of turn, Black. Especially when you don't have four legs to sit on." He hummed in disgust.

"Sirius, not now." Hermione whispered, trying to quiet him for Remus to continue.

Sirius didn't let up and continued to throw mental hexes in Snape's general direction.

"Sorry, I'm late!" Arthur Weasley announced, coming into the crowded room with stacks of papers, folders and books in his hands, trying to balance them all like a circus act.

"Arthur! Where have you been?" Molly scolded, finally revealing her concern for the whereabouts of her husband. She'd been quiet when she got there, as her clock she carried with her still said "mortal peril" for her husband's location.

"At the Ministry! Making copies." he exclaimed, briefly kissing his wife and throwing a stack of papers in a beaten up folder for everyone to see onto the table.

"What are those?" Harry asked, pulling the folder closer to him as Hermione poked her head over her best friend's shoulder.

"Petitions!" Arthur replied, quickly sifting through his papers to find something else.

"For what?"

"To marry Hermione!" he answered, "They're still taking petitions for her, to find her a suitable mate."

"What? What the fuck for?" Sirius barked, slamming his two lifted legs back on the floor and grabbing the entire room's attention.

"Well, you all already know that this Marriage Law was for purebloods to marry muggleborns to strengthen the breeding due to all the Squibs being born." Arthur repeated the law for those that might not have been clear on it. Also, with Arthur going over it again, it was better for everyone to be on the same page before they started speculating. The room agreed for the most part that it was pretty black and white, "Well, we were lucky enough to marry Hermione off to protect her. She and Sirius married in time before he actually had to petition her. So, they were more or less, grandfathered in, so to say. Well, I've found out some horrible news. You know Felix Shortbook, the man who was handling your case?"

Both Sirius and Hermione nodded as they both stared at Arthur with eager anticipation, that he alone, was going to be their lifeline of knowledge.

"Well, he's dead." He breathed, "They found his body in the Thames."

Hermione quickly clapped a hand to her mouth in shock. She looked over at Sirius who was still staring at Arthur, desiring more information. Harry saw how concerned Hermione was becoming, by the heavy rise and fall of her chest. He reached over for his friend and held her hand lovingly. His heart went out to her, for whatever was about to unfold was going to deeply worry her.

"They found stacks of petitions for Hermione. Wizards, and witches, requesting that she be the muggleborn to marry and the licenses were temporarily granted. They seemed to find it easier to practically give them away at this point, to be ready down the line." Arthur continued his tale.

"It was like pulling bloody teeth to get one for us!" Sirius added, frustrated and slamming his hand hard on the table.

"I know. You weren't the right one. They were bribing the department to get her, Sirius. It seems several of some of the more powerful wizards, good chance that He Who Must Not Be Named had some of his minions in the bidding, applying for her. But, since she was relatively untraceable, they weren't able to act in time. And then you two…sort of just walked in."

By this point, Hermione had started to physically shake with the very idea of her being bought or sold. She didn't ask for this, she didn't even ask to be a witch, but it was just a gift she was born with. She looked over to Harry for support and he quickly leaned over and started to console his friend.

"They couldn't say anything if you offered to marry a particular wizard, Hermione. Had you just walked in to request a license, it would have appeared that you were just trying to get out of it. By you two proving that you had been together for awhile, deemed it more convincing to grant you one."

Sirius nodded, understanding that much.

"Granted, you're not the only one they discuss, Hermione, but you are quite valuable to He Who Must Not Be Named. You're Harry's best friend. You're one of the most intelligent witches of your generation."

"We know this Arthur, continue." Sirius insisted, using hand gestures to hurry it along, waiting for more to unfold.

"They're talking about how you're not pregnant, yet. Some believe it's a sham marriage."

"They're bloody all over each other, all the time!" Ron added from across the table, looking at the married couple.

"It's not enough. They're not doing enough. It's coming across not real. Unless we need to coach them some more, the Ministry is questioning it and are thinking of subjecting you two to physical medical tests."

"What? No!" Hermione yelled.

"What do they want me to do? Fuck her right in front of those pricks?" Sirius yelled. His temples beginning to throb as his blood started to boil within him.

"Could you be any more crude, Black?" Snape chided, embarrassed for his ex-student.

Sirius shook his head, apologizing to Hermione and everyone else for his outburst. He was obviously upset and everyone nodded their acceptance. They all felt the same for the two and knew that something had to be thought up.

"There's more. If the medical tests come out that Sirius is sterile, they'll forfeit their marriage license."

Sirius snorted, "Don't worry about that. I'll pass that with flying colors."

"But, there's a catch." Arthur shamefully added.

"What's the bloody catch, Arthur? Don't dangle it in front of my face, what the hell is it?" Sirius blew up, becoming more and more agitated. He had learned to despise the Ministry more and more and even when he had to walk in there to have the interview with Hermione, it made him shudder with repulsion.

"They're still taking petitions and bribes."

"What the hell for?" Harry asked.

Arthur paused, bowing his head and then peeking up at Hermione and Sirius, "They've found a clause in their contract that Hermione can be married off, in the case of death."


	12. Resisting Charms

_A/N: Alas another chapter and as always, the reviews encourage me to go on, thanks so much. This chapter is rated PG-13/M. This is the original, and nothing was taken out. The same version reads on my LJ. _

_To some of you that are picking out little details, I thank you. However, I have done some research. Some of you may know that I'm American, but what you may not know is that I travel to London_ _(and surrounding areas Oxford, Didcott, Reading, Poole, South Hampton_…_) quite frequently. I may not know all the details regarding the areas, but I know enough to own an Oyster card ;)_

_As for the "age of consent" concerns: This is fan fiction and the warnings have been made._ _As for the discussion of whether it's legal, it's not up for discussion. To be more "PC" about it, it was author's choice to make the legal age of consent 18, solely for the purpose of both sides of the pond reading this. _

_Now again, I'm not coming down on anyone, and you have the right to any opinion! I encourage it. I'm very thankful you've read my story thus far, and hope everyone leaves reviews that will help. Thank so much! J _

_This chapter may not be the best (as I may have teased on LJ), but it's been written for specific reasons that you'll learn later._

**Chapter 12 – Resisting Charms**

The way Hermione's pulse throbbed in her ears, it sounded like a dozen gongs going off in her head. Her breath was ragged, her body was physically exhausted and she forced her legs to move faster then they ever could. She was practically swallowing the air as it filled her lungs, as she ran for her life. With her wand lost and broken, she felt defenseless, naked, and unknowing.

_Where was Sirius?_

She lost him far behind her, when he yelled at her to run as fast as she could while he stayed behind to deal with his own cousin, Bellatrix.

They'd been cornered down one of the darkened streets of Knockturn Alley. Thanks to tip from Tonks, the Order followed Narcissa and Bellatrix to this location. They heard of a meeting of the minds, where several of the more unknown, better disguised Death Eaters were going to be. It was in the name of good, that these faces were to be exposed and dealt with.

Once discovered hiding about in the shadows, disguised as inanimate objects, Bellatrix and her followers scoured the dark streets to find them.

One good hex by Narcissa when Hermione had lost sight of her and she fell backwards on her rear end. Sirius had yelled for her, darting out and dodging hexes from both Draco and Bellatrix as he went for his wife. Bellatrix cackled in the alleyway, throwing another hex at his cousin's wife when Sirius threw himself in front of her to save her from whatever pain was now to be his.

Hermione's wand had snapped in her hands when she tried to catch herself from flipping upside down, leaving her with nothing. She saw the illustrious Bellatrix cry out, "Crucio!" and Sirius fell to the ground in front of her in a heavy heap.

Hermione screamed, frightfully fearful for his life and watched him writhe on the ground in agony like his entire body was receiving an electric shock.

"Fucking run, Hermione!" he yelled, his voice cracking between cries of mental pressure and pain. "Go now! Run!" he coughed, clutching onto his wand and trying to fight the invisible power over him.

Hermione's insides were dying with him and she couldn't leave him. Not in this alleyway, not on the rain soaked street, not again! The more she yelled in protest wanting to pull him away, the more he yelled at her. She saw Bellatrix nearing them, her wand fixed on her cousin. The sound of a repulsive cackle filled Hermione's ears and she knew that Sirius would be gravely pissed if she stayed any longer to try and save him. Sirius slurred his words with curses for her to run like hell away from her.

"I swear to God, Hermione-" he howled and cried as his muscles contracted against his control, "I'll fucking kill you myself if she doesn't get to you first! Get the hell out of here!" he screamed, concentrating on forming words to make her leave.

Watching the darkened death of a woman approach them with a brisk step, Hermione took another look down at her husband, her love, the man she had learned to need more than anything in her life, dying before her, she quickly scurried backwards on all four arms and legs like a spider trying to run. She turned around and took off running, not looking back, but hearing Bellatrix cackle again, letting it bounce off the cruel crumbling walls of the buildings around her.

Her heart was racing, her eyes watered and as if a dam was holding back her tears, and her emotions erupted with loss and hatred. She cursed Sirius under her breath for making her leave him. She didn't want to live without him, not like this. She didn't want Bellatrix to take him away from her, for the second time!

After what felt like miles of running, her ears were filled with the familiar cackling of the evil witch. She glanced back to see Bellatrix after her, throwing hexes just like before. Hermione tried to dodge them as they ricochet off the brick walls.

"Mudblood! How dare you taint my pureblood family!" Bellatrix screamed, running behind her at full speed, you'd think she was flying.

Hermione felt herself being pulled back, her shoulders feeling like they were being shaken and through the fog she started to hear another voice calling her name. She turned her head right and left, swearing that it was Sirius saying her name over and over.

"Hermione!" he called. _It was him_. "Wake up, love!" His natural voice fell on her ears like warm soothing water.

She jolted awake, her eyes forced to open and there before her was her shirtless knight, holding her shoulders, and deeply concerned. She panted as she woke up out of her dream, her hands reaching for him and pulling herself up to press against him.

"Darling, calm down. It's okay. It was just a nightmare." He soothed, wrapping his arms around her slender body as she threw hers around his neck in desperation, calming herself that she had him in her grasp.

She did what she could to hold it together long enough before erupting into a fit of tears. With hardly any sound, her tear ducts let out a constant stream while the rest of her body just shivered. She never sobbed, she never hiccupped, she just held onto Sirius's bare flesh as tight as she could, until he had to pull her away from him, trying to get answers.

She just shook her head, not wanting to think about it any further. Right now, she just wanted him close.

"Please stay with me, tonight. I just want to know that you're close." She quietly requested with no objections from him. He was already gently caressing her moistened cheek, nodding to whatever she said. "But first, I'm going to write work and tell them I'll be out for the rest of the week. I don't want to be away from you, until we think of a better plan."

He nodded, not saying anything, but just happy that she was finally calming down. Her state when he first rushed in, following her crying yells, frightened him beyond words. He thought her mind was being extracted from her head, the way she was writhing around on the bed, like a fish out of water. He'd tried to calm her for at least three minutes, before she woke up in his arms; his hands gripping her shoulders tight.

They both were extremely stressed over the night's discussion at the Order meeting. The news of finding out that Hermione was being bartered for, resulting in a possible assassination of Sirius. But, the later of that seemed to be a bit farfetched, knowing that there were still good people somewhere in the Ministry that knew of this plan, so it's not like it was going to go unnoticed. They would only be able to cover up so much, before the right people, probably the Order, would step in and rectify it.

For now, the plan for Sirius and Hermione was to go along like normal. Lead normal lives, no more interviews, attend outings, go to the pubs, go to dinner, go shopping, be normal and to make absolute asses of themselves in public over their displays of affection. Granted, by this point, both Harry and Ron were slightly turned off with the notion that their closet friend was to act like she was "making it" with someone their dad's age, well, Harry's dad, anyway. Not that it was completely repulsive, being that Sirius was technically Harry's guardian; the Order looked at it like nothing abnormal.

The pairing was a pretty couple; Sirius looking at least ten years younger than he actually was, and Hermione growing into the graceful woman that harbored inside of her once lanky body. They acted like any other couple, as it seemed that two months together had somehow, calmed them as individuals. Neither one of them seemed to bicker at the meetings the way they used to, neither one seemed unhappy, and they both seemed to have learned how to be concerned for the other, even if they were only faking the fact they were a couple.

_Or, so the Order believed._

When the discussion came about on their displays in public, it was suggested that they go out to dinner in wizarding places more often. They should be seen strolling together, or shopping and Sirius should make more frequent trips to Hermione's work, forcibly rubbing it in the Ministry's faces that he knew who was who.

Sirius did everything he could, not to stare at Hermione during this entire conversation, knowing that he would probably give it away. Had they already been spying on them? Had they seen how they looked at each other? Surely, they weren't spotted in Hogsmeade the night before, but Sirius knew that it wasn't going to be a stretch for any of the things they suggested.

The business at the meeting moved on to the topic of using the Weasley twin's back storeroom as another rendezvous point when it came to more frequent meetings, making them more subtle. Molly said she'd speak to them and knew that they'd be up for the idea. They loved seeing familiar faces in their shop, and it was good to know that they'd have extra security with Order members loitering about, that the "bad sort" might not frequent their business as often, allowing a possible scandal with any of their products ending up in the wrong hands.

Sirius smiled to Hermione as she returned to her bedroom, after sending an owl to her boss at the Ministry. She just made it quick and simple that she was feeling under the weather and for the rest of the week, she'd be home recuperating. She crawled back into her bed, in the bedroom that showed no personality, and waited for Sirius to settle next to her, before moving closer to him.

He adjusted himself in her bed, noticing that she seemed to inch closer and closer to him. With no reservations, she wrapped her hands around him, making sure he was really there. As they both stilled, Sirius began to close his eyes when he felt her lean up and leave a kiss on his lips, whispering to him that she was glad he was there.

Sirius sighed, forcing himself not to make a move on her, swearing that he wasn't going to take advantage of her like this. He felt himself practicing the strongest strength of willpower he could muster, even when her leg moved over his, wrapping it securely around his body. Her hand smoothed over his stomach, lightly grazing his shadowed trail leading down under the waistband of his pants. When her hand finally stilled, his pulse began to subside, listening to the sound of her quiet breathing and feeling the light tickle of her curls dressed over his chest. She slowly drifted herself to sleep, completely wrapped around him as he lay on his back with one arm protecting her.

The following day, Hermione still wasn't in the best of moods to do much. Not that she was paranoid; it was just that she wasn't ready to venture outside of the flat without at least letting one more day settle in.

The two lounged around the flat, making lunch, doing chores and just generally enjoying each other's company. They enjoyed a peaceful nap together with the windows opened, listening to the city sounds and fresh air fill their room. Like the night prior, Hermione curled against the warm security that Sirius provided and left stray kisses around his neck as she nuzzled her nose against him, bewitching him to drift off to sleep with her.

In the evening, Sirius lay at the end of the couch, his head resting on his hand and his legs stretched out watching a popular television show. During the commercial break, he glanced down at the other end to the pretty young witch, thoroughly engrossed in a thousand page novel. Hermione sat on her end, her arm propping up her head as well, and her bare legs tucked underneath her. Her hair fell down the side of her cheeks like a pair of wispy curtains. Sirius watched how she furrowed her brow when she read; contemplating the story she was divulging herself into. She fascinated him with her insatiable thirst for knowledge and intrigue that it had dawned on him that she was indeed, a rare jewel completely preparing for him.

Sirius smiled to himself, admiring her angelic appearance, thinking that even wearing a cotton tank top and yoga shorts, she still looked radiant. He sighed contently, accepting that beyond all the rules of their arrangement, he was actually happier than he'd been in a long time. After all the bickering, the rows they'd had back at Grimmauld Place, and the "grow up" arguments, he never would have predicted the fondness he had for her. Through new eyes, he thought she was one of the most beautiful creatures he'd ever met and it was so sad that he didn't realize this sooner. Otherwise, they might not have started out so resentful in their beginning.

His eyes returned to the television and a few moments later, he heard Hermione closing her book. She laid the leather bound piece on the coffee table and turned towards Sirius. Without saying a word, she moved her legs from under her and crawled the short distance to the other side of the couch. He turned to see her coming closer, hovering over him and leaving a chaste kiss on his lips, before stretching out her legs and laying on top of him, resting her head on his chest.

Sirius cherished the way she draped her body over his, cuddling against him, knowing that she felt safe. She knew that he'd let nothing hurt her, touch her, or even attempt to take her away from him. He just rested his hand on her head, caressing the dark curls that made her wild mane, tangling into their soft debts. He felt her sigh and knew that she was drifting off into a slumber.

The following couple of days, Sirius paid all his attention on her. He had to make her feel safe again, had to let her know that he was serious about her, and wasn't setting her up for a terrible fall, if she were to push forward and accept him. He made her feel pretty, but that didn't take much out of him, for she was. He had no problem offering her the affection she so needed, in her weakened state that even after a long ride out into the country on his motorcycle she still just wanted him to hold her when they laid down in a bed of grass, staring up at the clouds.

She never would have put it past him that he was a romantic, because it seemed to come so easy for him. He was still Sirius with his crude comments, his stubbly chin, his leather pants and his silly flying motorcycle. But, he knew that his mission just got tougher. Not only was he sworn to protect her, he had to now protect them as a unit and himself from harms way. He was a bit unsure about what these "Ministry Fucks" had planned, but he knew it was shady.

For now, he had to convince Hermione that he was there. He wasn't going to run away, and he was going to do the responsible thing and listen to what others say this time, rather than risk his own neck when he was responsible for other people. He still couldn't forget the Veil, he never could, it left a mental scar, but the bigger scar was how he left Harry so abruptly. The past can never be forgotten, but it can be redeemed.

Now with Hermione, who presently sat straddling his lap on their couch while his legs were propped up on the coffee table, he had a new task. She was his responsibility and, like with Harry, wasn't going to just think of defending her without knowing everything. He couldn't. He wouldn't risk it. Not when he was so close to something really wonderful and real. Not when she was sitting on his crotch in a most alluring fashion, letting him kiss her anytime he wanted, anyway he wanted. Not when they had practically spent most of the afternoon feeling each other up like teenagers.

Sirius's fingers were sneaking under Hermione's shirt, touching her bare stomach and tickling her ribs, when he closed his eyes at the way she was practically purring into his ear. Her hands snaked their way around his neck, straying up and into his long unruly hair. She nibbled on his jaw, listening to him chuckle deep from his throat.

With the sound of two "pops" of people apparating into their living room, the tender couple looked over to see Remus and Tonks standing there.

"Oh god, we're sorry!" Tonks blurted out, hiding her face in Remus's arm, as if shielding her eyes would reverse their rude interruption.

Remus chuckled and pointed, "I knew it! I knew there was something more."

Sirius tipped his head back, chuckling at his longtime friend and cousin with the scene they had walked in on. Hermione just turned her head away, smiling and biting her lip that they had been found out.

"You knew, Remus?" Tonks asked, looking back at the couple sitting on the couch and then back up to Remus.

Sirius lowered his hands to rest them on Hermione's thighs and not so obviously up under her shirt. "Mooney, you're so clever."

Hermione finally peeked over to their guests and added, "Would you mind not mentioning it to Harry? We're not quite sure how to break it to him."

"We call it, method acting." Sirius teased.

Remus smiled at the familiar state of his friend, rekindling old memories of him with other women in this past. Of course, now was not the time to bring those up. Instead, he put his arm around Tonks to console her from her surprise, reassuring her that it was all right.

"Well, whatever you call it, just make it convincing to everyone else. If you look like this where everyone can see you, then we already should have less to worry about." Remus cheerfully added.

Hermione slid off of Sirius's lap and onto the couch next to him, to make it feel less awkward when Sirius asked them why they deserved their company that evening.

"Well, we were sort of in the neighborhood and wanted to know if you wanted to join us to this Indian restaurant. We thought we'd help you with your outings, but I can see that maybe you're doing fine without our help." Tonks finally built the courage to look them both in the eye. It's not that they were caught doing anything wrong, but the sudden shock of her cousin with Hermione struck her odd. They were such polar opposites and Tonks had never even noticed any kind of attraction between them, before.

Sirius looked over at Hermione, whose cheeks were still blushing and inquired on her will to join them. Regrettably, she agreed to the invitation, secretly wishing that their evening remained just the two of them, but for Remus's sake, she joined them.

The double date did them well, and it helped relieve Hermione of some of her more stressful concerns. In a very vague sort of way, the foursome discussed mild business regarding their society, trying to soften the blow of the new developments Tonks had discovered while at work out in the field. She was still following a tip she'd learned on Bellatrix and Narcissa, and Hermione couldn't help but revert back to the horrible nightmare she'd had the few nights ago.

It must have been just a coincidence and thought nothing of it, still wishing not to revisit that dream. The only good thing about it was that when she awoke, she had someone there holding her. Unlike waking up from horrible dark dreams growing up, she needn't face them alone anymore.

Sirius was becoming something of a godsend to Hermione and it frightened her to believe that she may, indeed, need him. Maybe she wasn't ready to admit that altogether, but she was, at least, willing to admit that they worked well together as a couple. Out in public, they knew their boundaries, they knew their job. The fact that they fancied each other only made it easier.

Come Friday morning, Hermione awoke in her own bed, alone. She saw that the sun had snuck into her room and was washing the walls of their fresh bright sunlight. Finally starting to feel refreshed and well rested, she paused to hear any tinkering sounds coming from the kitchen.

Silence.

Realizing that it was still before nine a.m., Hermione quietly threw on a pair of jeans, a t-shirt and light jacket, slipped on her shoes and tiptoed out of her room and down the hallway. As she passed Sirius's open door, she looked inside to see him spread out in the bed, one leg on top of the sheets and the rest of his body lying on his back, completely in a sedated state. Smiling to herself and passing his doorway, she quietly slipped outside and down to the street to pick up a few things she wanted to make him for breakfast.

About ten minutes after she left, Sirius started to stir as he heard those damn birds chirping outside his window now. He shifted a little, pressing his face into a pillow and letting out a light growl. A roaming hand reached out to the vacant spot next to him, to see if any of his dreams were answered and he wasn't alone.

Like a petulant child, he huffed his disappointment and forced his body to wake up. Like a zombie beginning his new day, he emerged from his cave and slowly slugged down the hallway to Hermione's room. Half asleep and barely able to focus, he pushed her door open to see that her bed was empty. Growling once again, he slowly turned and staggered down the hallway, aiming for the kitchen. He saw her messenger bag by the doorway, so he knew she didn't go to work and he ran his hands over his face to wake himself up.

As he stretched his arms up into the air to stretch out his back from his heavy sleep, there was a knock on the door. He dropped his arms and smiled, thinking that it was Hermione.

"Did you forget your keys, love?" he called, swinging the door open to reveal a rather attractive blonde woman standing there with a notebook.

The professional looking blonde scanned her eyes over his half naked body, wearing only a pair of plaid pajama bottoms. His hair was ruffled, his chest was toned and his pants hung low on his hips, creating quite a fantasy to the stranger at the door.

"Well, no, because I never received any." She grinned, narrowing her eyes on his chest art, trying to step in and get a better look.

Upon seeing that it wasn't Hermione he quickly shook himself awake, "I'm sorry. Who are you?"

The blonde smiled and extended her hand, her other arm clutching the notebook she hugged close, "I'm Maria Abeworthy, your new caseworker."

"Caseworker? Oh, yes, because Shortbook kicked it." Sirius added, still fighting to wake up as this woman looked him over.

She nodded at the crude way he had explained it, but it didn't stop her from her job. She looked him over once again, and saw him as a challenge. "I'm here for your monthly inspection. So, may I come in?"

She stepped up to Sirius who remained still, practically pushing her body up against his to better get his attention towards her more personal assets. Losing himself in the advance for a few seconds, he remembered who she was.

"Yes, sure." He offered, moving out of the way to let her in. "My, ah…ah…" the word escaped him as he was still slightly groggy and approached by a beautiful woman, no doubt she had Veela in her, with the way he was suddenly reacting to her.

"Your wife?" she suggested, opening up her notebook to begin her notes.

"Yes, my wife. She's stepped out for a bit and will be back soon."

"Oh, she will be?" the blonde inquired, pouting out her lower lip that they weren't going to speak alone, just the two of them. "I was rather hoping that I could have some time with just you, Mr. Black."

She advanced closer, but Sirius knew better than to fall into her trap, let alone someone from the Ministry. He could smell "set up" all over this chick.

"Well, you can start until she gets back. Go ahead, be my guest." He offered his flat; opening his arms and ushering her to go wherever she felt, suggesting he had nothing to hide. After all, that's why they insisted on doing these stupid inspections of their homes.

She pursed her lips and walked past him slowly, lowering her eyes on him, starting down the hallway and giving him a quick glance. Sirius excused himself from her, going into the kitchen to start their morning coffee. When he approached the pot to prepare it, he saw that it was already finished. Thinking of the small thoughtful gesture Hermione had made for him, he couldn't help but smile to himself.

"Sirius?" she called from down the hallway.

Sirius picked up his coffee cup, not impressed that this woman was keeping him from the second most important thing in his life, and went back into the living room to see her standing in front of Hermione's bedroom.

"It's Mr. Black."

"Who's room is this?" she asked, casually pulling her hair down from the bun it was pinned up in, allowing her long blonde locks to fall down her back.

"No ones, it's the guest room." Sirius answered, sipping his coffee and resting a hand on his hip.

"But, it looks slept in." she tested, posing the pen tip to her lips.

_Oh, this one is good. _

"My godson slept here last night. We had a few pints and he crashed in there."

"So, this room is yours and your wife's?" she pointed, standing at the doorway and looking inside.

"Yes, you're a quick one." He sarcastically added, sipping his coffee, savoring its taste and finding far more interest in the loose coffee ground floating at the top of his cup then the short skirt the Ministry rep had worn to this interview. It had occurred to him that she had probably hoped he was alone.

"And, ah, that's the room where you two," she swiveled her hips as she walked towards him, "do it?" she baited.

"If you mean where we fuck, yes, then that's it. I rather prefer the term 'making love', but call me old fashioned." He smiled, raising his cup between them to sip it loudly.

She had done all but close the gap between them. If it wasn't for the fact that he trained himself a long time ago to never give into a Veela's charm, he would have been a much easier target for her. But, Sirius wasn't about to botch up a good thing he had going.

Hermione came through the door to see them standing extremely close and the strange blonde woman begging to be noticed.

"Who the hell is this?" Hermione insisted, throwing her keys on the coffee table and her purse and groceries on the couch.

She quickly looked over at Sirius, raging with jealousy; before she quickly caught on that he wasn't the least bit interested in her. Ashamed at herself for overreacting, she realized that jealousy was obviously something she didn't deal well with, and was glad to see that he had already convinced her that it was all this other woman's doing and not his.

"Darling, this is the new Ministry tramp, er, rep." he corrected. Upon hearing this, the blonde made an offended sound and crossed her arms over her chest. "Sorry love, just call them as I see them. No hard feelings." He sipped, wrapping an arm around Hermione who stood next to him like a prized piece compared to how cheap this woman made herself. "Have you met my wife?"

"Hello, Mrs. Black. I'm here for your monthly inspection." The blonde woman adjusted herself before continuing.

"We never received an owl about it." Hermione inquired, calling the woman out.

The representative smiled fake, tilted her head and added, "I'm sure it just got lost."

Hermione fake nodded and asked, "And, have you seen everything you needed?"

Maria glanced back at Sirius, realizing that her mission to seduce him had failed and she would need to report back to her superiors that he'd past this test – even from a Veela.

"I've seen enough, until next month." She finished, tossing her hair over her shoulder as she turned to leave. Without another word, she was out the door and out of their flat in the blink of an eye.

Hermione stared at the door, not quite gripping what had just happened. She felt her fists beginning to ball and her heart beginning to pound. She hated the emotions she was beginning to feel, not too familiar with the experience of being predatorial over a man. It wasn't in her. It was extremely out of character for Hermione Granger. But, as she felt Sirius hug her closer and leave a kiss on her temple, she realized that she'd never been in the position to be so open for a man before. And Sirius was the rare case. She felt him leave her and go back into the kitchen, acting like what had just transpired in their flat, really didn't even cause him to blink an eye.

Hermione shook her head and turned to see Sirius taking down a coffee mug to prepare another cup for her, as if this was the routine. Like nothing else mattered, except for preparing that cup of coffee for her, and only her. The fact that a Veela had just entered their home, pulled out a few tricks, and still left him unmoved, over the feelings he had for her.

"She was a piece of work." Sirius told her, busy with making her coffee.

"She was part Veela!"

Sirius glanced over his shoulder at her and nodded, "Yeah, I know."

Hermione carried her bag of breakfast foods to the counter, setting them down and still looking over at Sirius completely stunned, "And you were able to resist her?"

Sirius just nodded, "It's a gift."

Trying to suppress a smile, she bit her lip instead and stood up on her toes to kiss his cheek, completely smitten with him. For the first time, she was seen as the prize and not another. She had been chosen over a typical beautiful stereotype, and best of all, over a Veela. It warmed her heart to no end, that she immediately started to make him breakfast, feeling that a good omelet might show a pinch of her appreciation.

"Besides," Sirius added, turning around and leaning against the sink as he watched her put a few groceries away into the refrigerator. "She had to have been at least twenty-two, or twenty-three. Far too old for my standards." He grinned mischievously.


	13. The Second Coming

A/N: This chapter is rated M or PG13. To read the NC17 version, go to my LJ (link located in my bio here, on for your patience. I'm sorry this chapter took so long, but it was because the UnCut version (located at my LJ – see bio for link) was nearly 2 chapters long, and I even after the edit for I wanted it still to be lengthy for those not reading the NC17 version.

Well, those that have waited….here it is. I reread it countless times, to make sure it flowed well enough to publish. Thank you so much TO ALL OF YOU that have given this story so many hits. It's been hit over 47,000 times, and I'm sure it's because of your recommendations, your re-readings and more!

When I first got into this ship (honestly, it's the first HP ship I got into for the sole reason of my unhealthy obsession for Gary Oldman) there was NO ONE. There was a small legion of us, thanks to SiriuslyMione website…but, that wasn't enough. But, I'm so glad that to know that I may have had a hand in your "turning". 

Enjoy!

Chapter 13

Lying awake in her quiet bedroom, Hermione stared up at the ceiling, counting the cracks and lines that met the walls. She thought about the relaxing, peaceful last few days off. She had spent every moment of them with Sirius, generally just enjoying the company and security. He made her feel beautiful, wanted, desired and most of all, needed; and on her request, he behaved himself.

Never, not even when she'd stroked her hand over him during a heavy moment on the couch did he force her further. He let her control the pace, the intensity, and the level of intimacy that she could handle. He may have come across like a ticking time bomb with her, but he had trained himself to be sated with what she gave him, knowing that eventually, she'd cave.

He kissed her like she was the only one that mattered and showed her affections in even the most simplest of places: the kitchen, the frozen foods section of the grocery store, or by a cash register while paying for something. He'd had all this time to work out a plan to take her up on her offer to see other people quietly and yet, he turned it down. Instead, he started to focus his attention on her, thus building up this tension the two had created.

_It was time. She was going to let herself fall in love with him._

Hermione got up and tiptoed down the hallway to stand in the doorway to Sirius's room. His room was dark and smelled of sage. As the full moon's rays snuck through his room like a hazy tease, she was able to make his form out, lying under the sheets.

She ventured inside, her heart rate beginning to increase with the anticipation of what she was about to do. Her felt her hands beginning to shake and swallowed the lump in her dry throat as she approached the bed with every slow step. He lay on his back, his face turned slightly to the right away from her and his arms resting up over his head, as if restrained by invisible handcuffs.

Like a rugged dark angel, his hair was swept all around him, his perfect jaw was shadowed by his beard stubble and the sheets fell down to waist, showing off that perfectly toned body adorned with body art.

With the stealth skills of a cat, she crawled under the covers and carefully moved to straddle him. He barely stirred under her as her thighs shifted on both sides of him, mounting him properly. She couldn't help but smile to herself that she finally had him right where she'd always secretly dreamed – right between her legs.

She ran her fingers lightly over the markings on his chest, noticing every detail that she missed the many other times she looked at him. He began to stir a little, but not enough to wake up. Taking a shallow breath, she leaned over and kissing his lips, holding them there for what felt like hours.

He finally stirred enough to open his eyes and raised his hands to her face, cradling her cheeks between his palms, kissing her back.

"What are you doing, love?" he whispered, savoring every opportunity to touch her plump, swollen lips, that he knew only got that way when she'd been biting them. She was nervous about something.

"I want to be with you." She whispered back, sure of her words.

His mouth curved into a smooth grin as he looked over her innocent face, "You're not under the Imperious curse or anything are you?"

She grinned back, relaxing a little, and shook her head, "No." she paused, biting her lip. "Just your curse."

He stared at her for what felt like hours before he pulled her back to him, making the conscience decision that he was going to go through with this. He'd hoped he would get this far with her, but knew when the time came when she was ready, that there would be no turning back.

As he drank her lips like a hungry tiger, he thought momentarily about the repercussions of their naughty act. Not necessarily what the Order would think, but more along the lines of the two of them. Would this help the situation? Would this strengthen their relationship? What would happen if they didn't work out? What would happen when the law lifted and they were both free to leave one another? Was this just something to entertain them and help pass the time?

_Too much thinking._ _He was horny as hell_.

Then, there was another thought. This was Hermione, his godson's best friend. A person that had a hand in saving him, twice; and he wondered if in a mysterious way, she was to be his salvation.

_Yes, she was._

Soon after their bodies relaxed and their heartbeats subsided, they were back under the covers turned on their sides with Sirius spooning Hermione as close as he could get.

"I want to let you know that I took care of it." Hermione whispered, smiling at the way Sirius's had clutched her breast as he settled in behind her.

"Took care of what?" he purred, kissing her earlobe.

"The birth control."

Sirius smiled against her neck as he left butterfly light kisses, "So, did I."

"I took a potion."

"I muttered a spell."

She smiled again, closing her eyes, "Then we'll do it your way, from now on. That stuff was absolutely vile."

"That's what you get for letting Snape make it for you." He teased and waited for her playful slap right on cue.

By noon they made love two more times, before Sirius forced his body out of bed to make them coffee. For the sake of any visitors that might feel the need to apparate into their flat, or stick their head through their fireplace, he put his linen pants back on. Before he left the bedroom, he glanced back at the young witch that lay in his bed, grinning at him from the confines of his comforter.

As he entered the kitchen, he saw Hedwig tapping against the window with urgent frustration. He let the owl in, listening to her "woot" with impatience and didn't even stay long enough for a reply. She'd let Sirius figure that out on his own. When he opened the letter, he saw that Harry had written it early that morning and that Hedwig had probably been tapping at their window for at least a couple of hours.

Feeling guilty for leaving Hedwig outside, Sirius didn't bother to try and fetch her back to send another note and just told Hermione that they were going to go over to Grimmauld Place for the afternoon.

In the letter, Harry asked if Sirius would come over to throw a few quaffles around in the backyard, and just spend some time with him. The girls, Hermione and Ginny, pulled out a couple of chairs in the backyard with them, their sunglasses on, and sat back to watch the two men try to play two-men quidditch after a couple of butterbeers in them.

After about thirty minutes, the score stood at Harry falling off his broom twice and Sirius once, after a pathetic attempt of trying to stand on his broom to impress his godson. Neither one had scored any points for themselves, but managed to fly close enough to the nearby table to retrieve their butterbeers.

Hermione and Ginny were quite entertained as they filled their egos and tried to catch a little sun on that overcast London day.

"He seems awfully lighthearted, Hermione. Did you not yell at him this morning?" Ginny commented, noticing Sirius's irregular goofy behavior.

"I don't yell at him, Ginny. He's not that bad." She grinned. "After all, it's been three months."

"Yes, we all know that. And that's why we're surprised you haven't hexed him yet."

"He's not that bad, Ginny." She stressed to her friend, shaking her head at Sirius's ridiculous attempt of a no-hand nose dive, nearly landing in the bushes.

Ginny glanced back over at Sirius, and watched the way he chuckled at Harry when he missed the last toss of the quaffle. "Has he tried anything shady, yet? Has he tried to convince you of an open marriage or finding a way to sneak around with women?"

Hermione shook her head and tipped it back to feel the warm beams of sunlight on her skin, "No, nothing. I actually offered to find a loop hole for him, but he declined."

"Really? Wow."

Hermione realized she may have said a little too much, even to her best girlfriend and added, "He said something along the lines of not wanting to botch this assignment up. So, we make do."

"Well, it's only temporary." Ginny nodded, tilting her head back like Hermione.

Hermione raised her head and looked over at Ginny who didn't notice her sudden alarm and then glanced back over at Sirius who was hovering a high eight feet in the air on his broom, "Right, just temporary."

"Now, if anything were to happen between you…"

Hermione snapped her head, "What makes you say that?"

"Nothing, I was just saying…" Ginny paused, taking her glasses off and looking over at Hermione, as if she just let the cat out of the bag, "Unless…oh, my god!"

Hermione looked away and back up at the two guys who were flying low by their butterbeers that sat on top of the fence. "What?" She faked.

"Hermione! Has something happened?" she pried, using a loud stage whisper.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Don't be silly." She quickly answered and resumed her positioning up towards the sun.

Ginny cupped her mouth, "Something did. That's why he blew up at the meeting the other night."

Hermione remained silent, not paying attention.

"Of course, why didn't I see it before? Well, it figures."

"What figures?" Hermione's attention was finally caught.

"Well, look at him. Look at you, for that matter." She smiled, complimenting her friend. "He's absolutely…well, he's Sirius Black. You two are shacked up in that flat, he's sworn to protect you, he's recently found out that there might be a death threat against him…it's all very romantic, actually."

Hermione turned her head to look at Sirius again. She was right. It was very romantic, all of it. But, take it away, would it still be there?

"So, is he a good kisser?" Ginny baited.

"Very." Hermione quietly sighed, lost in her own thoughts of all this possibly going away.

"There! Got you! I knew it!"

Hermione lowered her chin, trying not to think on it too hard. "Please, don't tell Harry." She slowly confessed, thinking of what would happen after all of this.

"I won't, on one condition." She waited for Hermione to look up, "You tell me how deep you two are."

Hermione smiled sweetly and started to fill her in, up until that very morning, leaving Ginny in a pile of goo. When Harry and Sirius came off of their brooms to go back inside, Ginny did all she could to tear her eyes off the rebellious passionate man. Harry was trying to get her attention, and at the last minute, she finally heard him ask for her help down in the kitchen to get lunch going. She reluctantly followed her boyfriend back into the house; taking one last glance at the rugged older man whose white t-shirt was now dirty with grass stains from falling off his broom. Harry grabbed her hand, not sure why she was acting so strange and pulled her inside, leaving his godfather and best friend to talk.

Sirius saw her face of concern and knelt down to be lower than her, as she sat in the chair. He smiled sweetly for her, raising a dirty hand and caressing her soft cheek. He glanced down at her lips, smirking to himself as he thought of where that mouth had been.

"What's wrong, love?" he whispered, holding onto her chair with his other hand.

She looked at him; his handsome face framed by dark locks, and shook her head, "We can't let Harry know."

He nodded, "I know. Not yet, anyway."

After leaving Harry and Ginny, they took a brief detour to Hogsmeade to pop into one of the shops Hermione needed some herbs from. They walked through the streets, watching the people go on about their normal Saturday routines, trying to be quick about them, but still try to appear relaxed. Hermione could remember the time when people were even afraid to leave their homes, when Voldemort first returned. She was reminding Sirius of the days before her sixth year and how fearful Mrs. Weasley was of even going school shopping with them. Now, it seems that just like the terrorist acts in America, they had to unite and be strong. They had to show him that they weren't going to be afraid and let it totally disrupt their lives. Though not always was the case with many shops, still seeing many that remained empty and desolate while several older establishments, with nothing to hide, remained open and lively.

The serenity, at last, had comforted Hermione and she gripped Sirius's hand, as he interlaced their fingers together, quietly chuckling under his breath about someone walking past dressed as a muggle.

As they rounded the corner of a tall brick building, Hermione positively drunk on her euphoric feeling with Sirius at her side, they saw Headmistress McGonagall ahead of them with a rather concerned look on her face as her eyes scanned the crowd.

Sirius called out, getting her attention and she warmly smiled at the two of them. She ushered someone over to her far right to come and join her in the hello.

Looking somewhat surprised at how close they stood together, she raised an eyebrow, "I see you're playing your role." She whispered, leaning in.

Snape joined them, cocking an eyebrow at the way they were standing, slightly repulsed with the very vision of Sirius.

Sirius smiled, gently squeezing Hermione's hand, "Just doing what we're told. We saw Harry this afternoon and decided that an afternoon out would be convincing enough."

"Right, well, you look the part. Do anything to keep her with us."

Snape glanced over at Hermione, who was otherwise distracted by something in the distance behind them up the street. He looked back at Sirius, and narrowed his brow on him, sizing him up.

"Miss Granger?" Snape purred in a low drawn voice.

"It's Black, Severus. Get it right." Sirius quietly corrected, as if rubbing in his mission.

Snape rolled his eyes as if exhausted with the man already, having only stood by him for sixty seconds, "Mrs. Black…what do you see?"

Hermione didn't look over, but was drawn to something down the street and quickly looked behind her to see if it was the same feeling the other way, as well.

"Something doesn't feel right, Professor." She whispered to him. "Come with me." She requested, letting go of Sirius's hand. She thought perhaps he may be able to recognize a face and not look like such a target with Sirius at their side.

Left behind and somewhat concerned as they got no explanation, McGonagall held Sirius back to let her go on with Snape. His eyes narrowed on her never leaving his sight, watching her every step, her every hand gesture, and every curl down her back bounce.

"I'm sure it's fine, Sirius. Let her go with him to find out whatever it is she senses." McGonagall added, intrigued by his concern for her. "She's turning into an excellent Auror, you know. I've heard great things from her superiors at the Ministry."

Sirius quietly chuckled under his breath, "The Ministry is made up of the wrong kind, Minerva. I keep getting a bad vibe every time she leaves for work. I can't stop her, she has to go."

"Be careful of what you say, Sirius." She confirmed, patting his arm, "You're doing your job just fine. Several are still afraid of you. They're afraid you might just fly off the handle, with no fear of going back into Azkaban."

Sirius shuttered, glancing over at her with the very idea of going back. Though they had been able to regain control over the prison itself after the abandonment of the Dementors, it still shook Sirius up to think of that place. For the time being, he only used the term as a threat against others, with absolutely no intention of returning, if he could help it.

"Well, let them have that fear in their blood, then. It's a healthy fear."

"But, I see you and Hermione have learned to get along? It's pretty convincing to the outside eye. Nice work."

Sirius smiled, keeping their secret, "Well, she's a nice girl. I've grown to learn how valuable she actually is to the other side and it's easy to play the part."

She leaned closer to Sirius and whispered in his ear, "Do what you have to, to keep her on our side. Don't let up. The first hint that this isn't real and she'll be pulled from you immediately. They'll find a slip in your contract and-"

"Minerva!" he interrupted, for fear that she was saying too much of the obvious and more than what was necessary.

"I know. You sometimes need reminding of what we're up against."

"I'm well aware of it. She's not going." Sirius whispered more to himself than anything. He watched her come back into his view with Snape at her side, walking with her chin up and her eyes darting left and right, slightly paranoid.

"Hermione, might I have a word with you?" McGonagall requested as Hermione rejoined them.

Leaving Snape with Sirius, the two men watched as the women slowly stepped away from them through the other shoppers walking on their way. Wizards and witches passed by them, paying no attention to the two statue-like men that were allies only by force, rather then by choice.

Snape slowly glanced over at Sirius and furrowed his brow as he concentrated. After a few minutes, his eyes darkened and his face turned nearly to stone as he quietly called for Sirius's attention, which was otherwise still on Hermione, across the sidewalk.

"Been sweetening the pot, Black?"

Sirius snapped his neck with the vocal interruption, "What are you going on about, Snivellus?"

"You're twice her age, man. Forget it." Snape chided, demonstrating his masterful skills of Occlumency.

Sirius glared at Snape, disgusted by his mental invasion, "Mind your own business, Snape. It's none of your concern."

"Your mission was to protect her, not bed her!" Snape growled, looking over Sirius with a pant of disgust.

Sirius turned his entire body towards his old school classmate, "I'm fucking risking my neck for her. You needn't be concerned about how I do it. I'm sorry that since you're not the _pureblood_ you wish you were that you couldn't step up to the challenge."

"I wonder how your Harry would take this news."

Within seconds, both Snape and Sirius had their wands drawn at one another in the middle of the street. Passers-by stopped in their tracks or walked clear around them, hesitant to walk by and be stunned by a stray hex.

Headmistress McGonagall glanced over at the pair across the street and immediately broke her conversation with Hermione to run over and separate them.

"Put those away! Don't you two dare start anything here in the middle of the street!" she shouted in a stage whisper, grasping both wizards' wand hands. "You needn't draw attention to yourselves anymore then you already have!" Hermione was quick to catch up, returning to her spot next to Sirius and gently pushing his arm down to his side, as McGonagall pulled Snape back like an attacking dog. "Now, turn and walk away, both of you. Hermione, we'll talk soon. I'll send you an owl."

Hermione nodded, her eyes still fixed on Sirius who had alarmed her with his sudden defense. As the two Hogwarts teachers walked away, Sirius put an arm around Hermione's back and quickly moved her along to walk with him, vacating their active spot.

"What was that about?" Hermione asked, leaning more against him as they fell into step together, walking down the sidewalk of the busy shops.

Sirius, still quite upset, shook his head, causing a few dark layers to obstruct his view. He nervously ran his hand through his hair, forcing himself to smile for her and pretend everything was all right. "Nothing for you to worry about. He's just being a dick, like usual."

Hermione decided to let it go, though she was absolutely starving for the truth from him. He seemed to be a bit tense over whatever had transpired between he and Snape and she felt that it wasn't a good time to press the subject further. Their early evening was already interrupted by their Order business, and Sirius was quickly trying to salvage the bit of peace they had, prior to their interruption.


	14. Back to Reality and Mrs Weasley

_Amendment I just noticed that a quarter of the story was cut off the bottom...the old one has been deleted and I've replaced it with the new chapter._

_A/N: Thanks for all the good feedback for the last chapter! As always, I encourage suggestions, both grammatically, cannon-ly and realistically. I may not be spot on every book detail, but I assure you I'm trying...if you like what you've already read, just go with it! This is more of a fluffy chapter. _

_This chapter is back to a normal PG rating. This is the original, so unless you want to, you don't need to find any extra bits on my LJ. _

**Chapter 14 – Back to Reality…and Mrs. Weasley**

The ill sound of the muggle alarm clock that Hermione still insisted on using for work filled Sirius's ears for the first time. Like a machine, Hermione leaned over and tapped the "snooze" button to give her an extra ten minutes, while sweet grumblings came from the person next to her, now hiding his head in the pillow.

Hermione listened to him moan through the feathers of the pillows, and finally saw his face emerge from his self asphyxiation.

He reached out to pull her closer and complained still half asleep, "Why do you insist on using that infernal thing?"

She smiled at him, admiring the way his brow furrowed when he was agitated by something he couldn't control, "I'm just used to it. Remember, you don't need magic for everything."

Sirius didn't move, didn't open his eyes, but managed to mumble, "Bull shit."

"I hate leaving you-"

"Then don't." he cut her off.

"Thank you, Sirius." She whispered, trying to be serious.

For this, he opened his eyes and lifted his hand to her cheek as it lay on the pillow next to him. Her eyes were fixed on him and a kind grin sweetened her face. She got up and ready for work, and heard him tinkering around in the kitchen when she was pulling on her coat.

"I'm leaving." She called, walking into the living room and slinging her messenger bag over her shoulder.

He came out of the kitchen looking like heaven with his tussled hair, firm physique, and his pants laying low on his hips that gave her just a glimpse of that dangerous "happy trail". He kissed her a couple of times before sending her off to a good morning, but hoped that she'd reconsider staying with him one more time.

"You know, I'm loaded, love. As long as we're married, you don't have to go to work." He teased, trying another desperate attempt to keep her home with him. He was going to miss their mid-morning romp, followed by their afternoon petting session and finally the early evening quickie they seemed to have perfected the last couple of days. To have her out of his sight after what they'd been through in the last week was going to be trying.

She smiled at his tempting offer and shook her head, "Call me an independent witch."

"I call you a stubborn witch." He teased, tickling her with his whiskers.

She backed away, feigning shock, "Mr. Black, I do believe that's the pot calling the kettle…"

He cut her off with another sweet kiss and then another quick nibble on her neck to try to keep her there. She pulled away, trying to not get wrapped up in him as her stomach was flipping those butterflies again with the new feelings.

She tilted her head to see him seriously and asked, "Do you think what we're doing is wrong?"

Without hesitation, he nodded, "Yes, and that's why I love doing it."

With one more nuzzle, Hermione was out the door and on with her day at the Ministry. Sirius, on the other hand, threw a spell around the flat to tidy it up and was out to do some light shopping as he cruised on his motorcycle.

_The Ministry of Magic_

_Marriage Licenses_

_Pureblood/Muggleborn Law_

_Dear Mrs. Hermione Black,_

_Here in the Marriage License department, your case regarding your marriage to Pureblood wizard Sirius Black has been reviewed by our board. Following the rules of said law, we regret to inform you that as of today, your binding contract has not, yet, been fulfilled. _

_We've sent representatives out to inspect your dwellings, have interviewed you and have had several witnesses speak on your behalf regarding your marriage. However, it's come to our attention that you have not satisfied us with the sole reason of said law: children. Stating in line 101.36 of your marriage contract, you are expected to have conceived one child by the end of your third month marriage. Failure to do so will result in medical examinations of both you and your husband to conclude whether or not, conception is possible. Failure to produce a strong bloodline will result in the termination of your marriage and you shall be otherwise betrothed to another suitable candidate of pure blood._

_Sincerely, _

_Maria Abeworthy_

_Marriage Licenses_

_Pureblood/Muggleborn Law_

Hermione's hands began to shake, her fingers could no longer hold the letter and she found herself using her elbows against her desk as her only leverage to stay upright, without fainting. She felt her throat begin to dry and the air in her lungs begin to empty. She felt like the walls were closing in on her and she couldn't breathe.

Her cubicle felt like a prison with its three walls and she was ready to do one, of two things. Remain seated and try to compose herself, or do what Sirius would have done and race up to that Maria bitch and tell her to "fuck off". Neither one seemed to be the easy solution. For now, she'd have to remain quiet and figure out what she and Sirius were going to do, to prolong it.

_I can't have a baby, for this._

That was all that went through her mind as she sat in her solitude over her lunch break. The rest of her department had left for their hour, but Hermione had passed and said that she wanted to catch up on her owls from the week's past. Instead, she sat alone, thinking everything over. She thought about how long they had fooled the Ministry so far, how close she and Sirius had gotten and how thankful she was that he was the wizard she had to marry. It could have been anyone, she thought, but she never would have thought in a million years that she and Sirius would be exploring each other's bodies, the way they were just a day ago.

It all started out as a silly young puppy dog crush, literally, and when the idea of marrying him for the sake of this silly marriage law came about, she did all she could to fight it. She was against it from the beginning, after seeing what a childish, irresponsible adult he'd proved to be, only to have come out as one of the gentlest men she'd ever met.

Maybe it was because they were thrown together, maybe it was because they had no other alternative, but whatever the truth of it was, she couldn't wait to see him that night. She kept glancing over at the clock, wondering what he was doing at that very same hour. Wondering if he was napping alone in their bed with those satin-like sheets hugging his bare form…..

"Hermione?"

She shook her head of her daydreaming and looked up to see Kingsley standing there by her cubicle, with stacks of clippings and newspapers to go through.

"Sorry, yes?" she smiled up to the towering black man with bright eyes and open ears.

"Sorry, but I've got these for you. They're what's left of last week's news and thought maybe you might find something with fresh eyes that we're missing." He turned away, after dropping off the papers. "Also, are we coming over for dinner this weekend for your birthday? Arthur tells me Molly's got something planned, whether you like it or not."

Hermione smiled appreciatively, quietly thanking Molly Weasley for remembering her birthday at a time like this. After receiving that letter and the new ground she was hitting with Sirius these last few weeks, her birthday was the least of her priorities. Hermione nodded for Kingsley and started to sift through the shabby articles and clippings that were left to her.

"Oh, and we raided the Malfoy's again." Kingsley added, walking away.

Hermione jerked her head up to hear a little more, "Again? That's the third time this month, Kinsley!" she shook her head and whispered to herself, upon remembering Tonks's tip, "Come on, Tonks."

Friday finally rolled around and Hermione was just coming home from work to find a lounging Sirius, feet on the coffee table and a big smile to welcome her. She leaned over, falling into his lap and kissed him sweetly on the lips.

"Quick, go change, so we can go." Sirius encouraged, tightening his grasp on her. "Or, we can just stay here tonight, and be celibate." He teased with his famous wink.

She bowed her head with a shy grin, "No, Mrs. Weasley, err, Molly, went through a lot to get everyone together tonight, so we're going."

He reluctantly released her and ran a hand through his hair, "Fine. Have it your way. Go."

She stayed where she sat, her arm still draped around his neck and she lowered her head and bit her lip.

"I love it and hate it when you do that. What's wrong?" he asked concerned.

"I've got something to show you."

He couldn't help but grin and raise an eyebrow. With his hand back over her legs, his fingers started to trace under her skirt. "I think I've seen every bit of you, but unless you've got some other kind of surprise?"

She shook her head, stifling a grin and reached over into her bag. She'd held onto the letter from the Ministry of Magic for the entire week, fearful of how to present it to him. She figured tonight, before they went off to see friends, would be an easy way for him not to get too upset. She shifted off of him, allowing him to read the letter without her as a distraction. She watched his face grow more and more somber, but more and more agitated to say the least. His brow narrowed and she thought for a second, that he was going to start shouting with the way his chest started to heave heavier and heavier with every sentence.

She got up off the couch to move away and slowly start to pace around the room. Finally, he scoffed off the letter, paying minimal attention to its ending.

"That dirty bitch." He said, crumbling up the letter and tossing it over the coffee table. He looked over at Hermione and saw that she deeply concerned for the situation.

He got up off the couch and went to her, stilling her from her nervous pacing and raising her chin with his forefinger to meet her eyes. He gave her a calming smile and shook his head, as if telling her there were so many other things to get upset about, and this was a minor one.

"It's going to be fine, love. They're assholes. She's just being a bitch, because she probably took my rejection personal, which I hope. You're going to be all right." He soothed, trying to reach out to her.

Just starting a fresh batch of light tears, she looked up at him, playing it cool and confident, "But, they're going to take me away from you."

He shook his head and with a gentle voice, as if commenting on the weather, he said "No, they fucking won't. I won't let them."

"We have no choice, Sirius. We're going to have to go in for the medical examinations."

He continued to fight every ounce of the Ministry alone, "Then we go through it. I'm not worried. I'm sure I'm fine, you're young and spry, and we'll have no problems. What we've been doing can't be detected." He reminded of the birth control. "Just because we're not conceiving fucking children, doesn't make us unsuitable. They're just going through everything, because they're totally against us. We're a terribly uncommon couple, Hermione. You're a prized piece to those ministry fucks that want to get you off to another wizard, but I'll be damned if I'm going to let them take you from _US_ while I'm still breathing."

_Us. _The Order.

Granted, he wasn't one to go down without a fight, but he was extremely confident that they were both going to pass whatever it was they were going to throw at them. Monday morning, they decided they would make the appointment with the doctors to get checked out and prove to the Ministry that they just hadn't conceived yet. Sirius assured him that his old lessons from Hogwarts had taught him a few tricks in concealing charms when put upon yourself and had no worries that their "thick heads" would figure it out.

They arrived to The Burrow a little late, with Hermione still a little shaken, but as Sirius entered the room to be welcomed by both Bill and Charlie Weasley, he felt like he was surrounded by the Potters family he remembered as a kid. The warm feeling of acceptance, love and friendship that could never be lost, regardless of passing time.

As they sat down for dinner, Hermione felt a little better as she was surrounded by her extended family. Her real muggle parents were off on holiday in Rome and after some correspondence with Molly Weasley, they were overjoyed with the effort she was making in their absence over her birthday. Harry and Ron sat on both sides of her, caging her in like two bookends, away from Sirius who sat next to Remus.

Molly made a few toasts in Hermione's honor; her demeanor seemed a little stern, but friendly for the most part. She made a delicious dinner, with more then enough for leftovers and had an award winning dessert to finish it off. Molly was quiet through most of the dinner, her eyes over on Sirius's side of the table. She watched him crack jokes with Remus, an adult who otherwise portrayed the maturity that Sirius so lacked. Like a proper den mother, she listened to the various conversations going on around her; Ron and Hermione discussing the success of the joke shop with the Fred and George, Ginny leaning over and leaving a kiss on Harry's cheek, and Tonks nearly knocking over her wine glass with her elbow as she leaned in to hear more of what Sirius was saying.

Arthur Weasley sat at the other end of the table, noticing his wife glaring over at Sirius with eyes like daggers. Catching her eye, he slowly shook his head at Molly, telling her to stay quiet over what she was thinking.

After dinner, a few retired to the cozy living room to begin a few gift exchanges, Charlie and Bill snuck outside to enjoy a cigar that was brought over from Romania and Molly and Tonks remained in the kitchen to start the cleaning spells over the dishes that were piled up by the sink.

About halfway through the dishes, Sirius wandered into the kitchen for another butterbeer from the fridge. When Molly saw him smile at her as he closed the refrigerator door, she was unable to hold her tongue any longer. She quickly peeked into the living room to make sure the "children" were still in there talking and not being able to hear her. Remus walked in from the living room, right into the crossfire.

"Molly, you outdid yourself. The dinner was excellent. Remus, you want one?" Sirius asked, upon seeing Remus joining them.

"What have you got to say for yourself, Sirius Black?" Molly shouted in a stage whisper; the tiny vein in her forehead about ready to burst.

Like a sneaking burglar just getting caught, Sirius froze and slowly turned around, "Sorry, Molly? What have I done to upset you, now?"

Molly threw down her dish towel over the sink and went at Sirius with a stern pointed finger, "You! How dare you take advantage of her! You should be ashamed of yourself!" She huffed, coming at him with heavy steps and a gruesome face that would scare small children.

The mostly sweet, gentile Molly Weasley had it out for Sirius. She had taken the news poorly about someone that was like a second daughter to her. Remus and Tonks, however tried to slowly turn to leave, knowing that this needed to be a private conversation.

"Don't you two dare leave! I want witnesses if she tries to hex me!" he called over, holding up a hand to stop them. Going on the hunch that it was over Hermione, he turned back to Molly and tried to plead his case, "Molly, come on. She's fine."

"She's a child, Sirius! She's eighteen, for goodness sakes."

"Nineteen and I didn't take advantage of her. She's a grown woman, Molly, whether you care to see that or not. They're not kids anymore. They're adults and they're dealing with adult issues. Let go, Molly!"

"Let go? This coming from you? This coming from the man who still sees Harry as James?"

"That's not true!"

"And now, you're making a mistress out of his best friend!"

"Mistress? Molly, we're MARRIED! I'm not…we're not doing anything wrong!"

She laughed sarcastically in his direction and turned her back to go back to her dishes. Shaking her head to convince him otherwise, she mumbled under her breath like a mental person, "It's not right, Sirius. It's just not right."

Sirius slammed his beer back on the counter and threw his hands in the air to give up. There was no reasoning with this woman, there never was. "It's not wrong, Molly. We're both adults and we're happy. Last I checked there was nothing wrong with that."

Remus and Tonks remained still, feeling completely out of place, and watching the argument back and forth between them, like a tennis match.

Molly shook her head again and glanced back over at Sirius, keeping her voice low as she tried to calm herself, "Don't you dare hurt her."

Sirius dropped his head and slowly walked over to Molly, who was just trying to be a mother to Hermione, "I would never hurt her, Molly. I care about her. She's good for me."

"She's too good for you." She quickly snapped back.

Nodding in agreement as he let it sink in, he whispered, "I know."

"When this is all over, I don't want to have to pick up the pieces."

He let her words sink in, knowing that he had more riding on this, then just a girl being sent off to another Death Eater. He had a young girl's heart in his hands. Something he hadn't had the responsibility of, in a very, very long time and the reality of it, hit him like cold water when Molly's words sunk in.

Realizing that he was quiet and zoning out, he was quiet to add, "I don't want there to be pieces."

"And what about, Harry? Does he know? What's this going to do to him?" she asked, trying to preoccupy herself with a spot on a pan that was stubborn to come off, instead of using the pan to hit Sirius over the head.

"We haven't told Harry, yet. We're not telling anyone that hasn't already found out." He whispered. "How'd you find out?"

Molly bit her tongue for a few minutes and remained silent. Sirius glanced over at Remus and Tonks with a sour face, watching the couple shift, looking guilty.

"No, they didn't tell me. Severus told me..." Molly whispered.

"Snape!" Sirius chuckled, throwing his hands in the air, giving up, "Of course, that fucking prick!"

"Don't use that word in my house!" she screeched, suddenly changing back into quieter Molly, "Severus just hinted to me that I should take a little bit more notice to your extracurricular activities with Hermione. He told me what he read in your mind…"

"Stop, I don't want to hear anymore of what that fat nosed buffoon had to say." Sirius interrupted, shaking his head and returning to his butterbeer. He took a big swig, swallowed and paused in a thought. "If it means anything Molly, I do really care about her. She's good for me and I'm keeping her safe."

Molly quietly shook her head, still looking at the soapy bubbles in her kitchen sink, "Just don't break her heart, Sirius."

Sirius nodded for her and himself, "I'll try not to." He pushed himself from the counter and went back into the living room to be with Hermione and his godson. He passed Remus and Tonks who stood there like statues, and growled under his breath, "Thanks a lot, you two."


	15. Inhibited

AN: Well, this was a very quick update! I'm actually about 2 chapters ahead, so it's nice to have something to work with. Thank you for ALL of your comments and compliments and critiques, they DO help.

This chapter is rated PG-13. To read the UnCut version, go to my NEW fanfiction LJ (located on my bio page, since html links do not work on chapter updates.

Ch. 15

The evening was winding down and Sirius and Hermione returned home. They curled up on the couch together and watched a little bit of some muggle programming on the television. Hermione laid down flat on her back with Sirius next to her resting his head on her chest, with his arms casually wrapped around her. Over the telly, he listened to the gentle rhythm of her heartbeat, calming him into a serene trance. She rested her arm around his neck and gently ran her fingers through his silky soft locks.

During a commercial break, Sirius reached for his wand that lay on the coffee table and turned down the volume. "I've got some bad news."

"What now? It seems to be the day for bad news." She calmly answered, looking down at him.

"Molly knows."

"What! How?" she yelped, stiffening at the very idea that Molly knew anything about the real truth behind them.

Hermione felt as if her late dinner was going to resurface and the fact that Sirius held her down under him wasn't helping. Her heart started to race, thinking that everything was going to be out in the open, Harry was going to find out and they both would be looked upon like….like…

"Let's just say that you'll have to remind me to kick Snape's ass the next time we see him." He murmured into her shirt, feeling her restlessness.

"Oh no, this isn't good." She said nervously, squirming under him to try and sit up.

He tried to hold her still, as her constant fidgeting was interrupting his comfortable position, "Don't worry about it. I got a good talking to from her tonight, and she knows where we stand."

"And she didn't cause physical harm to you?" She inquired, not sure if Molly was losing her touch or not.

"No, but she did threaten me."

"She won't tell Harry, will she?"

He shook his head no and raised his face to the crook of her neck. He sensed her uneasiness and knew that after a few subtle nuzzles from him, she'd be all right. He took in her familiar scent. A scent he'd learned to love with each day she let him hold her and he promised to himself, that he'd never forget it; it was too intoxicating. Though his intent was just to run his stubby chin around her neck, he couldn't resist the urge to leave small long kisses against her throat.

Hermione sighed against him, listening to the flat settle around them. She loved listening to his gentle breathing as his lips passed over her ear and she loved how he held her so possessively, when they were alone. What she didn't know, was that Sirius had promised to himself he was going to protect her from the world around them, any chance he was close to her. He'd discovered something so wonderful in her, that he wanted to be selfish and not share her with anyone. The feeling of the same person next to him for an indefinite amount of time was refreshing to him, and he welcomed this new change.

As the room started to become quieter and quieter, Sirius began to fade into a soothing sleep, within the arms of his loving lady. His young bride, his friend, his Hermione.

_His Hermione._

Saturday night brought a loud round of butterbeers for the boys at Madam Rosmerta's Three Broomsticks. Charlie had pulled his brothers out of a late night in their shop, owling Remus and Sirius to join them for a good time drinking. Hating to turn down the invitation, Sirius left Hermione behind with a book curled up on the couch, feeling no guilt to go out and try to get arrested with his friends.

Fight song after fight song, the men sang and yelled, rooting for the Chudley Cannon's latest win. Fred had taken along a new product called Whisky Hand Fires that were really just small fireworks. They were used for a proper drinking game with firewhisky, inspired by true events. Each player would take a shot of the whisky and blow on their small firework. Whoever's flame was the tallest, won. Not to mention the most intoxicated, as well.

To all of their surprise, Remus had blown them all out of the water with seven whisky shots in a row and a flame rising at a towering nine inches from the table.

"Weasley, if you burn any holes in my table, I'll have your ginger hair as a pouch!" Madam Rosmerta yelled from behind the counter with one well manicured finger pointing in his direction.

"It would be a dream, Rosmerta!" Fred called back in a sarcastic dreamy state. As much as he tried to pretend otherwise, he too, was smitten with the Madam Rosmerta curse, just like so many other men before him that stepped into her pub.

With uneasy footing, Sirius pulled Remus out of his seat to fetch another bottle of firewhisky from the frisky bar maid. Stumbling and chuckling like old schoolboys, they made their way to the wooden counter.

"Another, Rosmerta!" Sirius yelled, putting down some money on the counter for her.

"Sirius Black, I'm surprised." Rosmerta teased as she took out her wand to charm a bottle down from the highest shelf above her, that she seemed to be getting a lot of activity for the loud exploding party. "You've been here at least two hours and not one crude suggestive comment has left your lips. I think married life has changed you, Sirius."

He shook his head violently, denying her accusations that he was any different than what he was over three months ago. "I'm just warming up, Rosmerta. I'll be pulling your skirts, before you can say Accio Black repellent!" He managed to say, before breaking into a fit of drunken giggles at his poor joke.

"You just remember to treat that girl well, Sirius. She's a pretty young thing and there are plenty others out there that can replace you!" She teased, wiping a mug clean with her rag.

Sirius, again, waved her off like she didn't know what she was saying and grabbed the bottle from the counter, twisting the lid and taking the inaugural sip out of it. Passing it over to Remus, he managed to belch out a few notes of the first few chords of the Chudley Cannon's fight song.

Remus shook his head, almost embarrassed for his friend, but still finding it highly amusing at the same time. Before sipping from the passed bottle he tilted his head to his friend and asked, "She's right, you have changed."

Sirius shook his head, not wanting to talk about it right then.

"Are you just shagging her, mate?"

Sirius made a thoughtful face and then just shook his head, as if the manner of the question honestly confused him.

"Do you care about her?" Remus pried, finally taking a sip from the bottle that remained lonely and unabused in his hand.

Sirius seemed to begin to take on a defensive approach and just looked at the unsteady floor, still trying to think straight and make out any kind of answer that was English and not drunken blubber.

Frustrating himself over the appropriate answer, he made a hateful face to his friend and barked, "Don't bring me down, Moony. I'm having fun. Don't make me think of deep shit, right now."

Remus just stared at his friend and chuckled. He didn't mean to upset him, so he just patted him on the back and pulled him back to the tables to compete in the game with the conspiring brothers.

After another hour, the Weasleys had run out of fireworks, and thought about calling it a night. It was way past last call from Rosmerta and they were starting to go their separate ways.

Sirius was the first to leave, nodding to each individual and blowing a kiss at Rosmerta who waved him good-night. He summoned a simple sobriety spell that was enough to knock off the surface of his manic intoxication, a spell he'd learned during his wild years; he pushed his body out the front doors of the pub and out into the deserted streets of Hogsmeade.

He looked around him, realizing that he hadn't been in Hogsmeade this late in months, and nearly forgot what it was like to be alone late at night. He hadn't had time to miss it, because he was too preoccupied with his mission, or marriage, to Hermione. He'd learned not to even call it a mission anymore, as he thought about it. It sounded so insensitive when the truth of the matter was, that they were learning to be partners. They both had to endure this unlawful decision and had found something in each other that they rather liked.

He didn't have to keep trying to be someone he wasn't sure he was, anymore. The playboy life was good; having a different woman nearly every week, but it was a part of him that he didn't miss much, having been able to be with Hermione. True, she had a lot to learn, having her limited experience, but it excited Sirius in the pit of his loins to know that now, he was to be her teacher. For the time being, he didn't have to prowl around beating off the girls that fawned over him, though he missed the attention; he seemed to be content with having been restricted to just one girl doing that.

But, as he thought about what they'd been through since this marriage law took in effect, he was proud of himself for how well he'd behaved. After Azkaban, he worked so hard at trying to rekindle the youth he was cheated out of, bedding the women that followed him around based on his reputation and skills, only to find out that they were all alike. What he wanted then, wasn't exactly what he wanted now.

In Hermione, he always thought she was out of his league, not his type and just too close to the family to even consider. He'd come to realize that she was what he needed; someone that was confident, independent, intelligent and familiar. The fact that she had grown up to be beautiful, was a perk.

He thought about their first kiss, how she'd clam up and get defensive to his subtle flirtations and finally how nervous she was when she finally came to bed with him. So much had changed, or evolved rather, that Sirius was happy to believe that he may have been what she needed all this time, as well. Someone to give her a taste of the wildness, someone to help her unleash her dark side, and someone to be a friend and lover to her, at the same time.

They had formed a good partnership and the sex was proving to be a definite bonus in their "cheating of the law". He hated to admit it, but what he loved the most about the situation, was that he finally had a woman in his life that actually cared about him, and not where he came from or what his reputation had claimed him to be.

Lost in his thoughts over what he was going home to, Sirius didn't see the overgrown chubby man shove him from the side. He was barely able to catch his footing, feeling the aftershocks of the whisky. He wasn't able to duck the blow in time, before a weak punch hit him upside the head.

"Fucking blood traitor!" The stranger yelled, spitting on him and shoving him hard onto the ground.

Sirius scrambled to get up, before feeling a kick to his gut, causing him to double over. He staggered a few steps backwards and curled into a ball to ram himself into the third stranger that started to come at him with a flying fist. Clearing the fist, he managed to punch the guy in the stomach in his defense, but felt a large weight of another man jump on his back, screaming for the second guy to "fuck him up".

"Muggle fucker!" The second man yelled, slapping him in the head, giving Sirius no time to block the wimpy hit.

Sirius forced his eyes to open and see the three men circling around him, but they were all wearing black hoodies and gloves. Just as he thought he was able to make out a face, a leather clad hand slapped him hard across the face. Another kick to the stomach, then to the shins, and finally the third guy came back to stomp on his foot and kick his flying fist.

Sirius cried out in the sharp pain, as his wrist bent backwards, breaking. His limp hand was useless and he hugged it close to his chest as he stumbled towards the kicker, with eyes of murder. With his good hand, he reached out and managed to grab the guy by his throat to pull him closer into view. Sirius yelled into the night again, as he felt the skin of his arm tearing open by the first man, armed with a knife.

"You fucking tainted the blood, you fuck! Now, you get a small dose of what's to come." Another kick caught Sirius in the jaw, before he stumbled backwards and landed on his backside.

Sirius wished with all his might that he was only half as drunk as he was right then, knowing for sure that he would kill these men who were kicking his ass. He hugged his broken wrist, falling onto his back and lifting both legs up to kick one of them away, but one managed to brandish the knife again and slashed him on his side.

When he finally was able to open his eyes, he heard the men around him stumbling and scurrying away, when he focused on his crew emerging from the pub. They immediately raced to his side asking him where the perpetrators went, but Sirius was falling in and out of consciousness due to the pain, he couldn't answer. The men that jumped him had managed to apparate away, just when they saw people coming from the pub.

Remus fell to his knees beside Sirius, holding his head up and looking over the open cuts and bruises. He motioned to the others to come and help him and suggested they take him to the hospital.

"No!" Sirius exclaimed, coming around and feeling the pain shoot through his wrist. "Just take me home."

"Sirius, mate, you look like hell!" Fred inspected, chuckling at his friend in manner that might relax him. "Even those jokes at the muggle hospital would declare you half dead right now, with the way you look."

"No, don't take me to the fucking hospital. Just take me home." He protested, slightly embarrassed that he wasn't able to defend himself as much as he had hoped.

Remus shook his head at his stubborn friend, who insisted on getting up on his own, but eventually caved and used him as a crutch. After several words expressing the way he felt, Sirius hugged his broken wrist to his painful stomach, and waited for them to direct him home

"He's not going to listen to us. Let him wallow in his pain for the night and Hermione will take him in tomorrow, if he needs it." Remus said, wrapping his arm around Sirius's waist, "And not dead"

Fred came around and held an arm around Sirius's waist to stand him up and Charlie started a chain to link the men. With a five man "pop", they apparated back into Hermione's living room.

Sprawled out underneath an oversized comforter, a book resting on her chest and her head tilted towards the television, Hermione had dozed off staying up for Sirius. She started to stir, hearing the continuous pops, and slowly opened her eyes to the group of men holding up her husband.

"Oh my god!" she yelled, throwing the comforter off her and racing to Sirius. Her eyes scanned over his face, as she carefully placed both hands around his jaw. "What happened to him?"

She'd never seen him so gone, so hurt, so defeated, that she almost didn't know what to do. Without an immediate explanation, she told them to put him in the bed and that she was going to start the medics on him, the old fashioned way: soap and water. She dashed into the kitchen and turned the sink on for some hot water and soap in a bowl, while grabbing a soft clean cloth from the closet. She moved quickly back into their bedroom and made her way through the men that were crowded around Sirius, like they were waiting his last words.

She forced Remus to catch her up in what happened, as she gently dabbed his forehead of the blood that had dried around his cheeks and lip. When she saw the blood stained on his shirt, she tore it open to get to his body and carefully started to clean up the knife wounds around his stomach.

Hearing that it was three wizards that left him there in the street, she shook her head knowing that this is what she was worried about and it just might be the beginning.

Sirius started to come around again and managed to say, "Fucken twats. I'm so pissed!"

"Yeah, you're pissed all right, mate." Charlie added, chuckling at his friend as he noticed the wounds Hermione were cleaning up, didn't appear as bad as they thought.

Upon hearing his voice, Hermione set down her cloth and lovingly leaned over to whisper to him, "You'll be all right, sweetheart. Just tell me where most of the pain is."

When the twins heard "sweetheart" in her sweet coddling of him, they glanced at each other, intrigued. They watched how she placed a hand gently around the side of his cheek that wasn't bruised and lovingly tilted her head in pain for him. Sirius moved a little in her comforting hand and the twins were a bit taken aback by their subtle display. Charlie stood to their right and saw his brothers making small motions about how delicately she was treating Sirius, as if they may have been more…

Charlie shushed the twins and glanced back down at the sympathetic display Hermione was giving to a painful Sirius. Fred and George shook their heads in their uncertainty of the situation and with a crude gesture of a pointed finger, entering a circle of two fingers on his other hand; Charlie told them what the truth of them was.

The other night when Charlie and Sirius were sharing a cigar, he had let it slip that he was starting to get to know Hermione, conjugally. The twins' reactions were first at him, then letting their mouths gape like fish as they pictured their brother's best friend, shagging a man that was like an uncle to them. Nodding to his brother, George whispered that if their mum found out, she'd come after Sirius with hedge clippers.

"I'll fucking kill 'em." Sirius murmured, falling into the gentle caress of Hermione's hand, quietly relieved that she was close.

"Hermione, do you want us to stay with you?" Remus asked, watching the way she appeared so worried for him. The bruises were a bit unsettling, but the more Hermione cleaned them off, the more they were just scratches from the knife and rough hits from the punches.

She sighed, looking him over and knowing that he didn't want to appear any weaker in front of his friends, and she was sure to get more of the story from him when he was able to talk. She shook her head for Remus and looked up at Charlie, who stood next to Sirius on the other side of the bed. She glanced up at the twins, who seemed to have rather large smiles on their faces from discovering their secret.

"Thank you, Remus; I think we'll be fine. I'm sure he's going to lie here and moan for awhile, soaking up the attention." She whispered towards Remus.

"I heard that." Sirius groaned, holding a hand to his chest as he coughed, sounding like a fifty year smoker as he strained his lungs.

"Floo me if you need anything, then. I'll be at Tonks's so you can use magic there." Remus assured her, rubbing her back as he bowed his head on her decision.

"Sirius, mate, we'll talk in the morning." Charlie added, leaning over and squeezing his shoulder before he left.

In a series of slow "pops" the room emptied and Hermione sat next to Sirius, waiting for him to start telling his story, if he was able to.

"What happened, honey?" She whispered, picking up the cloth and gently patting it around his cheekbone. It appeared to be darkening as she watched his face wince to the stinging pain of the soap over his deep cuts.

"Not now, Hermione." He shook his head, turning it to rest in her direction. He opened his eyes, his eyelids low as he whispered, "I'm just glad you're here."

She shook her head at him, "What did you start, darling?" When he exhaled his deep breath, she waved his breath away, "And why did you drink so much? Sirius, you could set off a fire alarm with that breath." She playfully added, finally finding the nerve to smile for him. His appearance scared the hell out her with the battered beautiful face, that she found it hard to look away, believing that there was something she could do.

He chuckled as much as he could manage without wheezing and answered with a low voice, "That was the idea."

She watched how one of the corners of his mouth forced a small grin, closing his eyes to save some energy. Unimpressed with his humor, Hermione shook her head and got up to get her wand from the coffee table in the living room to start mending him as best she knew.

Coming back into the room, she saw Sirius sitting up and trying to take his own shirt off with one hand, wincing with each shift of his body. He cradled his wrist, biting his tongue on the broken pain that shot up his arm like small pin pricks.

"Sirius, honey, don't move." She rushed to his side, carefully helping him remove his shirt, revealing more bruises and cuts. She shook her head with concern, furrowing her brow and knowing that it was going to kill her until he started talking, but she couldn't force it out of him. It wouldn't be fair. He had been beaten and defeated, and knew that to get his mind straight with tonight's events, he needed rest

For the next hour, Hermione examined Sirius from head to toe, finding any spot on his body that needed tending to. She started by his face, using healing spells over his darker bruises that were going to take most of the night to settle in. She rubbed his chest carefully, finding any soft spots on him that made him wince, indicating a cracked rib or two, and mixed a potion for that.

Feeling a bit nauseous over the wide gashes around his arms that put visions in her head of how defenseless he must have been when he was attacked, made her take a minute to herself, knowing that she was probably the cause of it. If he wasn't married to her, none of this would have happened and if the boys hadn't come to his aid, he might have been dead. And here she was, trying to remain calm and composed to heal him as best she knew, because he was so damn stubborn to go to the hospital for his more serious injuries. He whispered to her that he knew she'd know what to do, and that doctors, magical or muggle, wouldn't take as good of care of him as she would.

With a last dose of the vile potion she forced Sirius to drink to mend the bones in his wrist; she left him to change into her pajamas, forcing him to watch her with hungry, wounded eyes. He may have been feeling like shit, he may have had cracked ribs and a broken wrist, sure the side of his face felt like he was hit with an anvil and the beginning of one hell of a headache was starting, he never missed an opportunity to see the young witch strip in front of him.

Especially, when she'd found the courage and confidence to do it only a week ago. There had been many nights before, that he found his hand roaming under the confines of his linen pajama bottoms to grip his cock as he envisioned her doing just so.

Feeling ten times his age as he leaned over to set the empty glass down on the bedside table, his eyes followed her every move in the bedroom. From the bathroom, back into the bedroom, to her bureau, and finally to her make up table, he watched on. She moved freely around the room, like he wasn't even there.

She assumed he was preoccupied with the vile contents of his glass, finally taking a moment to prepare for bed properly. She went over to her bureau to take out her sleeping shorts and tank top. She lifted the t-shirt she was wearing over her head, resting her arms down revealing a pastel yellow bra that hugged her perky breasts perfectly. Turning her head to the side as she remained in her own thoughts, she reached back to the clasp of her bra and unfastened it, letting it fall down her arms and tossing it into a laundry basket that was open in her closet.

Her bare skin appeared like silk under the low lights in the room, leaving Sirius with a hungry feeling inside. Her well rounded breasts posed high as his eyes ran over her firm stomach, wishing that he could just kiss her skin for one moment, believing that her taste alone would bring him back to perfect health. However, it was another part of his mind talking and just when he knew it would get better, it did and she was already unfastening the buttons on her jeans. As if she knew his lustful eyes were watching her, she slowly teased her jeans down over her slender thighs and shimmied them to the floor and kicking them into the hamper. Her hands ran over her body in a personal celebration that she was free from their restraints and turned around.

Clad in only a pair of white cotton panties that were enough for him to spill himself at that very moment with the way her perfectly cleft arse peeked from under the seam. She leaned over her vanity table to remove her jewelry, completely unaware of how much he was undressing her from that position. He had to force his eyes away from her, restraining his broken body from going over behind her and fuck her senseless.

"Hermione, love, you're killing me." He finally choked, hugging his wounded wrist and shifting himself under the covers.

She gasped when she heard his voice break her zoning, and for a second, forgot he was awake. She stood up and turned around for him, her breasts bouncing just a little as she jolted to see him.

She smiled innocently for him and rested one hand on her curving hip, "You're supposed to be trying to go to sleep, Sirius." She cooed.

"I can't sleep when I know you're walking around here naked, giving a very lucky wizard an ace peep show." He managed to say, feeling a little better with the idea of her taking her panties off.

Her eyes lowered for a moment, and then fixated back on him, "But, I'm not naked."

"You're nearly there, love. Just one more piece and I'm done for." He whispered, his eyebrows lifting in that flirting way he knew so well, regardless of how horrible he felt.

She pursed her lips for a moment and thought what she could do for him, since he wasn't able to move. She wet her lips with her tongue and turned to the chair behind her in the corner. She turned around to face him again and looped her thumbs under her panties, slowly sliding them down her legs and sitting down in the chair.

"That's it, love." He winked, slowing giving her a devious grin. "Now, you're just a wicked little witch."

She leaned back in the chair, completely naked, crossing her legs and watching him. Her heart went out to him, knowing that he wasn't able to perform tonight, and she thought to make him feel a little bit better, that it might be good for both of them to put on a show for him. After all, he was hurt pretty badly and he trusted Hermione to make him feel better.

She took a deep breath, preparing herself for something she'd never done before and asked him, "What now?"

With one eyebrow lifting, he hummed his approval as she inquired what to do next. He managed to pull himself up to better view her from a low sitting position, still slouched down in the bed, and clucked his tongue in thought.

Hermione couldn't help but watch Sirius with his hungry eyes on her body that it coached her to do more, drawn out touches over her displayed self. She watched how he would adjust himself every now and then; surely having a hell of a fight with his own self control not to force his broken body up and on his knees before her. Never in her life had she ever put on a show for anyone, other than herself, that it he seemed to open a Pandora's Box of secrets she had neatly stored in another place within her. Leave it to the rebellious one to bring it out in the most studious of witches.

The attraction Hermione had for Sirius started long ago, when she first heard the truth back in their third year. She learned of his loyalty and his dangerous confession in the shack, about willing to die for his friends. That started a chain reaction for the small puppy dog crush she had for Sirius and his rebellious streak, for the right of good. Sure, he made brash decisions and overreacted quite often, but it was the "bad boy" in him that seemed to call out to her. It only added to the legend that was Sirius Black and she was sure he was to be something she'd never experience…until now.

With absolutely no intention of any of this happening back when they sealed this agreement, it had all come as a surprise with the way it had unfolded between them. Hermione had remained something of a "hands off" kind of girl to him, as she still remained to be his godson's partner in youth. For Sirius to even fathom anything with her, further than friendship, was almost unspoken of. Sure, she blossomed right before his eyes when she hit fifteen, growing out of the awkward stage and into "jailbait" territory with her curving body that was starting to turn heads, she still remained untouchable.

Then she graduated and it hit him; she wasn't a little girl anymore. She was Hermione Granger all woman, and a bit of a snob. He was far from any of his previous types, that the idea of her never even crossed his mind any more then a "she's pretty, if she kept her mouth closed" type. The contract they had made to be married stunned him. Not only did he think that his personal life might have been put on hold indefinitely, he never in his life saw himself as anyone's husband, let alone hers. He just knew that after the day they married, he was going to fight harder for the Order than anyone, to get the right people in the right chairs, so that this law was lifted and his old ways could be fully restored.

_Then, this happened._

He couldn't help it; it was in his nature to flirt with a pretty witch. He may have made a mistake for flirting with her to begin with, but they were friends. They had to be friends. They had to learn to work together, if they were going to make this convincing enough. But, it was the way she started to look at him, or talk to him, or just hold his hand a little longer. She started to smile around him more and he couldn't help but smile back…and then his famous wink.

They found themselves talking, which was odd for her, not knowing that Sirius could be rational and understanding. He started to listen to her, for a change, rather than keep putting up a fight or argument about whatever it was she was passionate about. It was that their friendship was getting stronger, their arrangement was changing and things were getting easier and easier.

_And then he kissed her_.

From that moment, he never told her about the way his heart skipped a beat when he finally got the chance to hold her close. He never told her that she was unlike any other witch he'd kissed, because none of them gave him such a rush that caused even his ears to ring. She was different. She was special. She was going to be his mission.

_And then she came to him._

He didn't pressure her, for he was dangerous. He had the reputation of being a heart breaker, a rebel, a Casanova, a flirt. But, she seemed to forget all about that the night she came to his bed. She didn't pledge undying love, she never said much about it, she just let him take her. And take her he did. And has.

With an infuriated cry, she finished herself off and let her body collapse in the chair; her heart pounding so hard, her pulse was thumped through her ears. Her chest heaved as she caught her breath, feeling absolutely spent and thoroughly satisfied, that she did it all in front of him.

After a few long minutes of silence, letting her pulse subside, she lifted her head to see him still looking at her with a mischievous smile and a lowered brow.

"That was, undoubtedly, the hottest thing anyone has ever done for me, Hermione." He purred, running a hand through his hair, looking a little tense.

For a second she, got shy and took her leg down from being so spread for him. She got up from her chair, pulling her weak body to the side of the bed and stood next to him, letting his good hand reach up and touch her stomach. Tilting her head, looking down at him and his battered state, she furrowed her brow in concern. She hated to see him hurt like he did and she carefully leaned over him, placing her hands around his head and tilted his chin up to her.

"I doubt that." She whispered and kissed him, holding their lips still, together.

He tried to get more out of her, opening his mouth and reaching the good hand up behind her head, but she pulled away before he could get a grasp on her.

"No, no, sweetheart. I don't want you straining yourself." She whispered, trying not to tease him anymore than she already had. She heard him huff a little and pulled away out of his grasp, casually walking into the bathroom to finish getting ready for bed.


	16. They're not Supposed to Fight Anymore

_A/N: This chapter is only rated pg-13, so no need to read both the version on my LJ and this one, as they read the same. Thank you for all the gracious compliments, comments and constructive criticism for this story. All if it is welcomed and appreciated and I'm so glad that I've "turned" a few of you into Hr/Sr shippers…they really are hot together._

_Some things are going to twist a little in the chapters ahead, and some things may seem unimportant…but, they're there to move the story along._

_Enjoy._

Chapter 16

In the silent bedroom where two warm bodies slept, the early rays of Sunday's sun started to bathe the room in its beautiful color. An unusually clear day for this time of year graced their windows, summoning the slumbering wizard to awaken.

Sirius turned his head towards the peaceful sounds of the soft breathing that lay next to him, sweetly smiling into her pillow; his beauty slept. He managed to open his eyes and drink in his favorite time of day – watching her sleep.

He moved a muscle here and there, to test out the status of his recuperation, and discovered that his little witch had managed to brew up some strong stuff that did not leave him with unforgiving bruises. The knife wounds from the night before were nearly gone, only leaving a light trace of a cut, and his wrist was workable, once again. His joints, however, were another story. He felt sore and worn, like he'd been fighting a full body duel for the last three days and knew that only old fashioned rest was going to cure him of that.

For now, he just watched the sleeping witch at his side dream away into another world. He watched the way her lips would twitch now and then, as if she was whispering something in her sleep. She lay on her back, her hand resting by the side of her face, palm up and her face in his direction. Her eyelids seemed to flutter, feeling the sun beginning to kiss her awake and Sirius glanced over at her clock; he realized he'd mesmerized himself with her sleeping for the last thirty minutes.

Hermione started to shift a little and rolled over onto her side, facing him. She slowly opened her eyes, laying them on his handsome face that watched over her, and offered him a small sleepy grin.

"Good morning, beautiful." He whispered, keeping his head against the pillow, turned in her direction. With his newly heeled hand, he reached up to caress her cheek with a finger.

Remembering where she was, she furrowed her brow and asked, "How are you feeling this morning?"

"So much better." He whispered.

She closed her eyes as his fingers graced her cheek and she sighed, "I'm glad." Looking a little less worried, she asked, "Do we still need to take you to the doctor, today?"

Sirius, not wanting to deal with authority if he could manage, shook his head, "No. I'll be fine."

She snaked her arm over his waist, careful not to rub over his mending wounds and tilted her head up as she attached herself. "Good."

He took a moment to collect his thoughts and said, "I've never had a woman take care of me, like you have, Hermione."

She'd never been given the chance to care for someone that she cared for. Her friends were another thing, but to care for someone that you shared your feelings for, your bed with and given your body to was all new for her. She just knew when she first saw Sirius last night, and the state he was in, something in her flicked on and she knew that it was up to her to make him right.

_She was falling in love with him._

"You really are something of a dream, to me." He quickly cut himself off; a bit weary of what might come out of his mouth next, as his speech sounded rather out of the ordinary for him.

She felt her stomach beginning to tie in knots, thinking that he was something of the same to her. Deep down in the throat, she found her voice and finally began to answer him.

"You're my childhood crush, come to life." She whispered, building up her volume.

He smirked, as if finding out a pleasant little secret, watching her lean up on her elbows to talk to him. He didn't believe her, "You never fancied me."

"It was what drove me to help you out." She explained, thinking of the Veil. She met his eyes so that he saw how serious she was, "I watched you fall."

"How, darling? You weren't in the room." He asked quietly.

"The time turner. I used it to go back and see how you fell in." Her head fell, as if replaying a traumatic experience for her, "Harry described it, but it wasn't enough for me. I stood under Harry's Invisibility cloak and watched you fall into that dark oblivion…" She whispered, nearly choking out the words that were hard to form.

The very idea of him not being there, the very thought of her not having known him like she had made her stomach churn.

Sirius reached up to touch her angelic face, listening to her tell him her story of woe and worry and it broke his heart to see how much it affected her. He had no idea how much she noticed him all those years. Sirius knew that people would never forget him, but he had no idea he was capable of his memory staying with someone so deep.

She was about to open her mouth to speak again, but he stopped her by pulling her mouth closer to his, so he could finally kiss his sweet witch good morning. A long awaited kiss for, on this particular morning, her lips felt like velvet. He slipped his tongue past hers with such grace and precision that she welcomed his sweet tease.

"I'm not leaving, again." He whispered, pulling away and pressing his forehead against hers. "As long as I have you on my side, I'll fight."

She let him kiss her again and as they pulled away, she finally felt the courage to ask him, "Sirius?" She hesitated, "What are we?"

Hearing this, Sirius released his hold on her and rested his head back down on his pillow. He looked up at her, pondering her question, thinking about how to answer it honestly, without frightening her away. When he heard her ask, he felt the hair on the back of his neck rise with the challenge of commitment.

She was still so young, but she was centuries old spiritually. Was it fair to her, for him to want to keep her around? She still had an entire world to see and it wasn't right for him to hold her back. But, as he seemed to realize, she was quickly becoming his whole world. She was the one who seemed to find a way to charm him, respect him and tame him. Hermione made it all worth it and he was going to be selfish.

"What do you want it to be?" He offered, raising a cool eyebrow.

She thought she knew, but was he going to see it her way? She had to try.

"Are you mine?" She whispered.

_Oh god, yes._

His own stomach was doing summersaults as she sent a thrilling sensation through his body, causing him to shiver. To think that this pretty young thing would be willing to pledge herself to him, was more than he would ever imagine. Sure, he'd had the dreams of having someone in his life like this; he may even have had a dream about her being somewhere in there in the non-committal form. She had opened the flood gates and he fought every piece of him to remain calm and composed as he prepared his answer.

"That depends." He started, pursing his lips in query.

Her heart fell, fearing the rejection. She knew it was just something to pass. Hermione should have known better than to think that someone like him would ever want something further with someone like her. Without thinking it through, she had gone out and embarrassed herself fully, with no door to retreat.

"Can I call you mine?" He whispered, curling her hair between his fingers.

She stilled as her breath escaped her. As her heart fluttered and her stomach untied itself, she snaked her arm around his lean body again and pressed herself firm and tight against him, meeting his lips for a soft rejoice.

Sirius had barely touched her lips, before pulling away to lean back and pick up a small box that sat on his bedside table. Upon hearing a small squeak of protest, he rolled back to her and placed a small box in front of her. Her eyes followed the small four inch by four inch box and furrowed her brow in thought. She looked back up at him, not quite sure what it was, and was almost hesitant to open it.

"That was your birthday present." He answered. "But, I've decided that it was just something you needed to have. So, I didn't get you a birthday present."

She couldn't help but smile at him, thinking about how he explained things to her, almost like he had an excuse for being considerate. But, she knew that this rough exterior with a soft spot was only for her to see. And with the way he wrapped his warm, lean body around hers, she couldn't help but feel that she was perhaps the most valued thing in his life. Next to Harry, of course.

She flopped back on her pillow, her hair spraying around her as she placed the small box on the blanket over her chest to better examine it. He slowly moved in closer to her face, nuzzling around her ear and breathing in her scent. She closed her eyes for only a few seconds as he brushed his unshaven cheek against her neck, causing her to tilt away from him so he could seduce her some more.

"Open it, darling." He whispered into her ear, upon noticing that she was beginning to lose interest in the small box and more interest in the way he was leaving small kisses on her shoulder.

She opened her eyes, grinning a little that he had learned exactly what to do to distract her, and carefully untied the small ribbon. She managed to take the lid off of the box between his teasing nips and took out a sterling silver ring with dark Celtic engraving around the band. As she admired the ring and its intricate detail of small marcasite jewels in it, it dawned on her that this ring looked familiar in some way. She'd seen it somewhere, looked at it and thought to herself how much she really liked this ring…

Then it clicked and after a few seconds of letting her mouth fall open in surprise, she smiled when she realized that this was the very same ring she had taken so much interest in, back at the muggle Camden market that day. She remembered liking it so much, because of its fine detail and craftsmanship, and remembered Sirius leaning over her shoulder as she examined it.

"Sirius, thank you." She managed to say, not quite sure how to show her appreciation that he remembered. "I can't believe you remembered which one of these I liked."

"I went there the other day and the shopkeeper actually remembered which one you liked. I was studying each and every one of them. You should have seen me, it was pathetic."

She bit her lip as she pictured him taking the time to study each and every one of those rings, cursing himself for silly reasons that he couldn't remember. She remembered him saying something that day about buying her an engagement ring, but she wasn't about to ask if the ring meant anything of that nature, aside from it being a gift.

Instead, she just asked sweetly, "Is this your way of saying I'm yours?"

He snorted under his breath, ready for a tease and said, "No, it's just something to go with that wedding band you're forced to wear. Being mine, never even came into the question." He winked, "You're the one that brought that up."

Her faltering smile lifted as he teased and she playfully tapped him on his cheek, after sliding it onto her left hand. His dark eyes were warm and inviting, his smile and chuckle was music to her ears and his morning stubble over his face was making her hungry for him. Without any warning, she quickly rolled over and pounced on him like a hunting cat, wrapping her arms around his neck and leaving short kisses around his mouth, cheeks and neck.

_She felt like such a lucky witch to have him in her life, finally._

"Mrs. Black?" The witch nurse asked as she walked into the waiting room of the medical office for wizards and witches at the Ministry. She stood there clicking her pen in and out impatiently, holding onto her clipboard and reviewing Hermione's file as she waited.

"Are you ready to do this?" Sirius whispered, standing up next to her when he heard his wife's name called. The very sound of her being a "Black" chilled him to the bone, thinking of his horrible mother also being called Mrs. Black and Hermione was far from being anyone like that.

With her heart pounding, she clutched Sirius's hand tightly and wished they would let him in with her. She glanced at the nurse witch and then back to Sirius, searching for those calming eyes she needed.

"I'll be right here, waiting." He soothed, pulling her to him and holding a hand against the back of her head, pressing her against his chest.

She felt so fragile in his arms at that moment, like a broken doll with weak limbs. She was about to be unprotected for however long it took for them to make their examinations of her, followed by Sirius. He pulled away from their hug and placed both hands around her jaw to lift her face up to his. He concentrated on her, sending her mental messages that she was going to be fine; they were both going to be fine. This was nothing more than a shitty formality that they were making up and with that thought, he placed a strong kiss on her trembling lips

After about thirty minutes, a distraught Hermione came out holding a tissue to catch the stressful tears that she had started. Upon seeing this, Sirius shook his head and bit his lip from saying something smart about the Ministry. He hated to see his young witch so torn up over this ordeal, but he knew that it was just in her to stress out like this and they had no choice but to pacify the Ministry with these examinations.

Upon hearing his own name called, he gave Hermione a quick kiss and whispered some calm soothing things into her ear. She was grateful for his support, but was resentful that she had to go and sit in the waiting room without him. She watched him glance back at her one more time, before following the red headed witch nurse into the long white hallway where they were going to probe him and test him in strange ways.

After forty-five minutes, more time than what they held Hermione for, Sirius was released from their care. He rounded the corner back into the waiting room, with the nurse behind him, displaying a satisfied grin as she watched him strut in front of her.

Sirius was finishing the buttons on his shirt as he sang out to the inspecting nurse that followed behind him, "Finally. Hey Bridgette, tell the doctor he owes me a dinner, after touching me like that."

Hermione felt so relieved when she heard his barking voice fill the silence of the hospital waiting room. She tossed her magazine back on the table and quickly got up to walk over to him. She was surprised to see him smiling, rather than upset at goodness knows what they would have put him through if it involved any cold steel instruments, like they used on Hermione.

"Everything all right?" Hermione asked, placing a hand against his chest to calm his loud voice that seemed to draw attention.

"I'm fine, love." He smiled, "I think Dr. Lamplow needs to get out more often, though." He added, more to the nurse that giggled as he made his jokes, finding him absolutely charming.

"Mr. Black, a few more things, please." The nurse called over to him, forcing him away from Hermione. "If you could please, just sign here." She smiled for him, leaning over the counter and offering him her pen. "It really was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Black."

"Sirius, love. Just, Sirius, for you." He corrected, giving her a friendly wink as he took her pen and briefly glanced down her dress. Old habits were hard to break. He signed where her finger was pointing and then offered her pen back, thanking her.

She lowered her eyes and slid him a small piece of paper, from under her palm. He looked down at it and then back up at the nurse, who was flirting her eyes at him.

Sirius slowly leaned over the counter closer to her and whispered, "What's this?"

She lowered her voice to a seductive whisper and said, "My floo address."

He grinned mischievously, not looking back at Hermione to see if she'd heard, and picked up the paper to fold it even smaller. "Thanks love, but not interested. I'm a married wizard and I only want one witch in my life."

With that, he slid the paper back over to her and slid off from leaning over the counter. He turned around and walked back to Hermione, putting an arm around her and started walking out. As she wrapped an arm around his waist, he pressed the front doors open for them and walked out, tightening his grip and feeling extremely pleased with himself.

_He was definitely changing._

From the moment they stepped out of that office, Hermione seemed to change. For the rest of the afternoon, she was quiet, consumed by her deep thoughts and a little agitated by every little thing. She said very little to Sirius that afternoon, carrying on into the night, that she excused herself to bed early after declining an invitation to go out with Ginny.

The anticipation of their test results was taking quite an emotional toll on her, that she felt that sleeping and working it away, would make the time pass quicker. Sirius could sense that she just wanted to be alone, so for the most part, he did. He tried to stay out of her way, smile at her when she wasn't looking and overall just try and not be too "Sirius" for a few days. To give her more space, he went out without her in the evening whenever he saw that she was getting ready for bed before nine. He'd just get a small nod or a quick answer and he was gone, out of her sight.

For four nights straight, Sirius was treated almost as if he were a stranger; dealing with her mood swings, her crying and her otherwise unhappy self. She showed him very little affection, as if a switch inside of her had just been flipped off and she barely reacted when he'd hug or kiss her when she was drifting off to sleep. He knew that she was quietly tying herself up in knots, desperately worried that they were going to be discovered that they weren't trying for children and that Sirius's mode of birth control was going to be found out. As many times as he assured her that it was a very intricate spell that the wizard doctors wouldn't have the patience to try and figure it out. Having been compiled of many spells that would otherwise cancel each other out, but that was his way of hiding it. To the doctors, it just looked like he had given Hermione an elixir that would help with the relief of menstrual cramps. A rather clever spell, he was quite proud of himself for conjuring up during his wild days.

Nevertheless, Hermione's sweet affectionate self had been put on hold, masking as a stressed out zombie-like girl, invading their flat. By Thursday night, Sirius decided to try and make more of an effort to calm her – his way.

Hermione had fallen asleep early, and after a quick half dozen pints with Remus and Harry at the pub he returned home to her. He readied himself for bed and carefully slid under the covers next to her, trying not to disturb her. After a few minutes of settling in, he slowly slid closer and closer, spooning her the way he usually did when she was already asleep.

Thinking that his offer might sooth her nerves, and get him laid, he slowly ran a hand down her hip and back up to the inside of her smooth thigh. She turned her head a little, making a small sound and then settled down again, like she didn't notice anything. His hand ran back up between her legs, over her shorts and up to the waistband. Very slowly, he fingers crept under the fabric and found their way down to her nether part, hoping to find her pleasure.

She started to shift in her sleep, now a little bit more aware of what was happening to her and she turned her head to face his, "Sirius, not tonight."

He purred in her ear, licking her earlobe gently, "Come on, love. I'll make you forget all your worries."

She gently moved his hand away and answered a little more sternly, "No, honey."

Sirius was feeling quite randy this evening, and didn't feel like being denied, so he tried again to slide his hand up under her shirt, "It's been four days, love."

Hermione, not sure if she liked drunken Sirius's persistence, moved his hands off of her completely and turned around to tell him, again, "Sirius, I said no! You're drunk and I don't want to be with you when it's like this."

"You need to relax, Hermione." He answered with a grumpy tone, slightly irritated that she was removing his hands from her.

"I'm trying to, but I don't appreciate you trying to touch me when you're all liquored up. I've got enough on my mind and your state isn't helping." She announced, her voice reflecting her frustration.

"Fine!" He huffed, moving further away from her and off the bed. He stood up, grabbed his pillow and stormed out of the bedroom. "Good night."

Hermione sat up and watched him leave with his pillow. Though he was slightly inebriated, she saw that he was angry and didn't want it to be like this between them. She understood that she hadn't be the most caring of partners those last few days, but the ordeal they had just put themselves through was a little bit more important than getting laid. She was grateful to have someone like him, but if he was going to act like this after a few dozen pints, then it wasn't worth the argument.

She heard him settling on the couch in the living room and made up her mind not to follow him out there for a row. She was too wound up over the medical exams, fearful that they were going to come up with something to tear them apart, and her mind wasn't on anything else. She fell back against her pillows, curled up under the covers and moved to the furthest of her side, leaving room should Sirius decide to grow up and come back to bed.

Sadly, for the first time since their marriage was consummated, they slept apart. Hermione was quiet as she prepared for work, glancing at him asleep on the couch when she was about to apparate. He lay there, looking so much like the face she'd seen in his younger pictures that belonged to Harry, now; so handsome, so beautiful with his shoulder length hair and lean body. She loved watching him sleep, but she hated to see him asleep on their couch after a small argument. She set down her bag and went to the bedroom to fetch a blanket, as he failed to take one out with him when he left the bedroom in his tantrum.

Very carefully she laid the blanket over him, trying not to make him stir. She took one more glance at him, thinking to herself when she first met him when she was thirteen; she never thought they would be arguing over their intimacy, down the line. She shook her head of the silly thoughts and laid a note on the coffee table, saying that she'd meet him at Grimmauld Place for an Order meeting that night. She slung her bag over her shoulder and went to work, feeling a bit lost and incomplete. She and Sirius weren't supposed to fight, anymore.


	17. The Fighting Red

_A note from Serade Black (AN):_ _I'm sorry that this chapter took awhile to get out, as I felt like I might have been taking another angle to the story. I had one outline and now I'm slowly working more details into it, so that you're really intrigued for the rest of the story. This chapter is only rated PG13, so this is the original. It's nice to see that some of you are really cheering them on and I'll be honest: it's nothing but a huge compliment! I'm glad I've involved you enough to really feel for these characters so, you want to see more of them. Special thanks and hello to thosenew readers and those that I met at LUMOS in Vegas this past month. I ensure you that I'm going to both Phoenix Rising and Prophecy (where they've asked me to do something really REALLY cool!). Enjoy the story and keep your compliments, comments, insults, ideas and theories coming!_

_SB_

Chapter 17

First looking to the left, then to the right, Hermione composed herself before walking through the doors of number twelve Grimmauld Place. The previous night's episode with Sirius really bothered her and she couldn't help but dwell on how she may have overreacted. He was only trying to be helpful, he was only trying to make her feel better, but the more she thought about it, the more she felt he was trying to take advantage of the situation.

He was being a dick, she thought to herself. Crawling into bed with her, after a night prowling on the town with the guys, like a teenager with no curfew. He should have been ashamed of himself, acting so immature in thinking she was just going to roll over and lay him, after all that they'd been through that week.

It was hard enough to try and deal with specific things between them, let alone their future that now lie in the hands of the Ministry. If Sirius so much as showed any sign of not being able to procreate, she was going to be torn away from him faster than you could say quidditch. Heavy on her shoulders pressed the thoughts of not being with him, not being in the relationship they were still fresh in, and not being a part of the Order, itself. She knew about the petitions for her, she knew she was easily bribed for by a few pretty galleons flashed before someone, but her complete trust was in Sirius.

She knew that he'd never turn that shoulder; she'd learned that he would protect her at all costs. She knew that he would probably be willing to die for her, or for the Order, at least. To picture her life without him, right now, was something she couldn't visualize. Sure, he was pompous, arrogant, self centered, and sometimes crude, but he had exposed a side of him, to her, that not even Harry knew about. A side of him that was intimate, romantic, tender and gentle, and all of that together was extremely sexy; a side Harry wouldn't want to know.

Hermione took a deep breath and walked through the heavy old door. Harry and Ginny were just coming down the stairs, greeting her with friendly smiles.

"Hey Hermione," Harry said, helping her take off her coat and hanging it up on the rack.

"Is Sirius here, yet?" Hermione asked, setting her bag on the floor by the coat rack.

Ginny smiled to her friend and nodded, still thrilled to know a few secrets, "Yes. He got here half an hour ago, or so. He was outside talking with Charlie and Fred, last I saw. We're still waiting on Ron, though. He's running a bit late." Ginny ducked her head closer to Hermione, catching her to be a little off that evening. "Something wrong?"

Distracted in her own thoughts, again, Hermione shook her head, "No, I'm fine. Let's get into the meeting."

"Wow, Hermione, that's gorgeous!" Ginny squeeled as her eye caught the pretty new ring that sat on her friend's hand.

Despite how saddened she was with Sirius, she still managed a sincere smile as it reminded her of him, "Thank you. Sirius got it for me, for my birthday."

"Wow, I'm impressed. Guess the crabby old bloke does have some taste." Ginny teased, turning to go into the kitchen for the Order meeting.

The girls retreated into the kitchen where the room seemed even more crowded with the entire clan of Weasleys standing around with their ginger hair, like beacons of the family. Tonks stood by the sink, whispering something privately to Molly and Kingsley was sitting at the table next to Harry and Sirius.

When she quietly entered the room, Sirius sensed her. He glanced up to the doorway to see her behind Ginny and catch his eyes. He quickly averted his eyes from her, not wanting to confront the situation right then; another poor trait he seemed to possess.

Hermione felt a slight pang in her heart when he wouldn't look at her, so she mustered up the courage to continue like nothing was different to everyone else. When they got home, they would talk. For now, they were acting like they were supposed to around the Order members. Indifferent.

She took her seat on the other side of the table and looked, awaiting Remus to start the meeting. Hearing a throat clearing, Hermione glanced over at Snape who stood menacingly in the shadows of the kitchen, looking slightly irritated that he had been put out by even coming there. He nodded his head a little in her direction, acknowledging her presence and then taking a moment to narrow his eyes on her. Unaware of what he was really doing, she sighed quietly to herself and listened to Remus discuss plans for the next investigation.

The monotone sound traveled through her ears, but she wasn't paying attention. It was slightly out of character for her not to, since she was always the most energetic when it came to scheming against the Death Eaters. She was always ready with her notes alphabetized, her quick quotes quill ready to dictate, hand-outs for the Order and a plan B to back it up. However, on this night, she just didn't feel like herself.

Her heart started to pound over the anticipation of the results coming in on Monday, that she had no choice but to prepare herself for the worst. The ridiculous argument with Sirius loomed over her and she just wasn't quite sure how to go about that, since it was actually her first serious relationship with anyone. Fights as teenage lovers were one thing. When dealing with two adults in a disagreement, the term "adult" used loosely for Sirius, serious emotions were involved. Her insides were doing flips and it wasn't because of the seafood she ate at lunch. It was this unsettling feeling that everything might soon change, and everything she was learning to adjust and love might be taken away from her.

Just like before, Arthur blew in through the doors, like a dog was quick on his heels. He was winded and slightly frantic, and did all but conceal the glimmer of a smile over his lips.

"Arthur, you start showing up on time, or my weak heart is never going to stop panicking!" Molly blurted out, still wringing the handkerchief in her palms to calm her nerves.

"Sorry Molly, sorry Order." He apologized, leaning over to his wife and giving her a kiss. "I was waiting for the results."

"What results?" Charlie asked from across the table on Sirius's end.

He smiled to Hermione; as if he knew she was tearing herself up inside over these, "The medical results for Sirius and Hermione."

Sirius felt his heart catch in his throat over the unexpected news. He hadn't expected to have to go through with this for another two days, and now, as the scroll was clutched in Arthur's hand, he had no escape.

He was trying to remain calm and cool for everyone, and pretend like they had nothing to worry about. But, as his own heart started to pick up the pace, he couldn't help but imagine that what he was happy with was, again, going to be snatched away. He never doubted it before, but as he saw Arthur fidgeting with the parchment, he hated to think for a fleeting moment that there might have been something wrong with him.

What if all his preventive measures when he was "cating" around didn't matter at all and that he was sterile from the beginning? What if he couldn't have children and all his protective spells he was able to conjure up before, were bogus? What if they did find them out and his precautions were discovered. Had the doctors been that crafty to find out?

For the few seconds before Arthur started to read, Sirius glanced over to Hermione, who seemed to be focusing all her energy on her hands. She stared so intently at them; he thought there was something she was hiding. He sensed her uneasiness and he fought himself from going over and taking her hand to hold it close, as they listened to their results.

He watched the way her eyes blinked slowly, calming herself for the worst news. Her shoulders lifted and fell from the deep breaths she was taking and finally, he watched how her perfect rosebud lips began to chew, puckering them up. It broke his heart for her to sit there alone, and he knew he wasn't able to go over there; they would blow their cover from Harry.

Sirius looked up at Arthur and ushered him to release them from the torture they endured, "Well, come on man."

Arthur smiled, nodding his head in agreement with the results, "Everything's fine. You both are fine. They can't find any reason why you haven't conceived and that they wish you the best of luck in your efforts." He read aloud, verbatim of the scroll.

"Yes!" Sirius howled, slamming his hands on the table, quite pleased with himself that he had fooled the Ministry again.

He leaned back on the two legs of his chair and kicked his feet up on the table, bending his elbows and folding his hands behind his head in a rather cocky manner.

Hermione, on the other hand, was starting to blink faster and faster, her emotions erupting in a matter of seconds. She parted her lips as she breathed her sigh of relief, still pleased that they hadn't been discovered and a little more time was bought. Her racing heart started to subside, warming to the feeling of a comforting hand from Ginny that she gently placed on her wrist.

Feeling overwhelmed with it all, she found herself beginning to hiccup into a light sob and quickly rose from the table to pardon herself from the embarrassment, "Excuse me."

"Hermione!" Harry called out, standing from his chair about to go after her.

"It's been stressful for her." Ginny informed the group, laying her eyes on a cocky Sirius, who seemed not to notice his wife's departure.

"Let her go, Harry." Remus requested, pulling Harry back by his jersey, allowing Hermione time by herself.

Sirius bowed his head thinking to himself, when he felt a hard loud slap across the back of his head, flipping his hair into his face. Stunned, he immediately raised his head to the slapper, looking into the dark evil eyes of Molly Weasley, as she fiercely nodded to the door to go after her. Not quite sure who to be more afraid of, Molly or a Dementor, he abruptly stood from his chair and took off after Hermione, taking the cue.

Everyone sat at the table in silence, looking around at one another, not able to say a thing in front of Harry, who up until this point, may be the only one that didn't know.

"Lover's quarrel?" Snape mumbled, catching a glance from Harry who was still restrained by Remus.

Snape had read Hermione's mind when she sat there silent in her thoughts and was able to see that she and Sirius had had a row that day. He wasn't able to see what it was about, as he only read it for a short time.

Upon saying anything of the matter, Molly gave Snape a look of daggers, warning him not to say anything further. Sneering just a little, hating to protect the scarred one, he amended his last statement by opening his arms innocently and with a monotone voice added, "Just kidding."

Sirius was relieved for Hermione, having getting the results they wanted from the tests. But, as he followed her scent to the sitting room bathroom, his guilt over the morning before hung heavy on him. He knew he was an ass and he had absolutely no right to take it out on Hermione the way he did. When it came to women when he was drunk, he was another person and felt terrible for being that darker person with her.

Coming closer to the bathroom door, his heart fell when he heard her catching sobs. He quietly rapped on the door, whispering, "Hermione?" he paused, "Darling, it's me. Please let me in, love."

With the sound of his first whisper, she was already unlatching the door and opening it up slowly to let him in. Once inside, he didn't even have a chance to brace himself when she threw her arms around his neck, holding him close. His arms caught her, grateful to feel her against him. He bowed his head down by hers, kissing the top of her head to quiet her down.

"I'm so sorry, Hermione," He apologized. "I won't do that to you again, baby."

She clutched onto him close, feeling the soft cotton of his shirt against her cheek. She just needed him to hold her, she didn't care that he was apologizing, she knew he was sorry. It was just the drained feelings of waiting for the tests, waiting to see if they were going to be taken apart, and waiting to see if they were going to be able to buy more time. The worst was still ahead of them, keeping him alive and safe while she was nearby, so no one could replace him. They'd passed the medical exams, pacifying the Ministry for the time being, but now what stood ahead of them were the on-going war and another few months before they threw something else at them.

Ron had just come in the front door and decided to use the loo, before going into the meeting. He rounded the corner into the sitting room and saw the bathroom door ajar. Slowing down his pace, he heard quiet voices from behind the door quietly crept closer. When he got a better view, he was able to see the reflection in the mirror of the embracing couple.

Sirius ran his hand over her back, soothing her and helping her drain all of the pent up frustration. He never wanted to cause her any extra grief, but knew at this moment, she didn't care what he had done. They had leapt over one hurdle together and the rest was yet to come.

Sirius pulled his sobbing girl away from him, so he could better see her tear stricken face looking back up at him. Hermione bit her lip, running her hands down the front of his chest and blinked a few times to empty the tears from her eyes.

One more time, Sirius said, "I'm sorry." He leaned in to gently kiss her, letting her deepen it to what they were more used to together.

She reached up to tangle her tender fingers into his silky black hair as his hands fell down to gently squeeze her waist.

Ron, viewing from afar, stopped and gawked at the secret couple, not quite sure what to make of them. It was Sirius, that he could see, and it was Hermione, that he definitely could tell and the two of them were…

He shivered all the way down his body with this discovery and quickly averted his eyes from their display. He felt dulled, he felt numb and he forced his feet to carry him back to the kitchen where the meeting was taking place. He seemed to float into the kitchen, still quiet and stunned, hearing his name spoken by a few members that were sitting at the table, continuing on with the meeting.

"You all right, Ron?" Harry asked, looking at his friend strangely.

Not looking at Harry, he just nodded, "Sure."

After a few more minutes, Sirius and Hermione returned together, getting a few smirks from those that knew their truth, but remained quiet for Harry's sake.

As she settled back in her chair, Hermione smiled kindly for everyone that was patient with her, "Sorry, I've been a wreck all week and it was just really good to know that we've stalled them. At least for a little bit longer." She sniffled a little, ducking her head to hide her red eyes and took the hand that Harry had extended to her.

"On a good note, at least you know that all your plumbing works, just in case," Harry joked, hoping it made her smile.

For a few moments, the room was so quiet, you could hear Molly's heart pounding. No one was sure if it were if it was an honest or insensitive thing to say. At the same time, those that saw more humor to it, than what they were letting on, started to crack a few small smiles. Pretty soon, a few more started to smile, and then finally, Sirius was the first to start chuckling broadly at the situation. Harry just grinned Hermione, knowing none the wiser and strongly believing that what he said was in fact, funny.

Ron, on the other hand, remained quiet…until the meeting was over.

Ron had stayed in his seat, holding a grimace on his face that not even Fleur could break, letting the vision simmer like a cooking stew. However, one more notch and he was liable to boil over. He watched as Hermione was talking in private to Tonks and waited until she was standing alone. On the other side of the room, Sirius was sneaking out the backdoor with Charlie to start on another cigar that he was starting to fancy. He couldn't help but picture the two of them in the downstairs loo, making out like a couple of fifth years on a ten minute break. He watched as Hermione appeared to be normal, like the way he'd always known her to be, but with the very idea that she would actually be with someone like Sirius, was a joke. She was far too good for him.

He couldn't stand it any longer and got up out of his chair; he tore her away from her conversation with Tonks and pulled her behind him, through the remaining people that barely noticed her running out by her wrist.

"Ronald, what are you doing?" Hermione squeaked, climbing the stairs behind Ron at his control.

He quickly went into one of the spare bedrooms upstairs, swung her inside and closed the door behind him. He turned on her, his eyes big and his arms flailing, speechless. He had sat downstairs in the kitchen like a ticking time bomb and wasn't sure when or how he was going to go off.

"Ronald Weasley, what are you doing?" She yelled, breathless and blown away by his behavior.

"What am I doing? What in the bloody hell are you doing? Are you mental? What the hell are you doing kissing him?" He yelled in a dramatic stage whisper.

As if someone had just dropped cold water down Hermione's back, she froze as she stared at him in shock. Ron knew, which meant…Harry knew!

"Oh God Ron, does Harry know?" She whispered, afraid for the next rage to come through the door by her other best friend.

"Does Harry know? If he doesn't, I'm sure as bloody hell going to tell him! He's going to flip!"

"No, Ron! Harry doesn't know! You can't tell him." She begged, reaching for his hand that he just pulled out of her reach, disgusted to even look at her.

"Hermione, what are you doing? Has he kissed you before?"

"Yes." She was quick to answer, trying to explain.

"You're saying that downstairs wasn't your first time? There were others?" Ron blurted out, trying to grasp at anything.

He had seen them downstairs, so that's it. Then, he didn't know before, and Harry still doesn't know. "Yes, Ron, there were others." She lowered her eyes, feeling defeated and arguing with a wall.

"Are you shagging him?"

"Ron, don't say it like that." She answered offended, as if it was only that.

"Then you ARE shagging him?" Ron ran a nervous hand through his ginger hair and started to pace the room. "How long? Did he force you to do it? I'll kill 'em. That mangy git!"

She shook her head violently, trying to pace next to him and force him to calm down, "No, no, he didn't force me. It's not like that."

"How long?"

"For awhile."

"Think of Harry, Hermione! This is going to kill him." He continued to pace, shouting at her enough that the little vein on his forehead started to throb. "He's old enough to be our father, Hermione!"

"Stop it! There's nothing wrong with us being together, Ron. You're just being stupid! Now, listen to me." She tried interrupting, standing in front of him.

"I can hear you two all the way from downstairs!" Sirius yelled, coming into the room and activating a silencing charm as he shut the door. "Lower your voices!"

"Where's Harry?" Hermione asked, panicking that he heard.

Sirius shook his head and turned on Ron, "He's in the kitchen, he can't hear. But, your brothers know exactly what you're saying, Ron."

"Sirius, you're our friend, mate!" Ron said, balling up his fists, as if they had been betrayed.

"And I still am, Ron. Nothing's changed."

"Nothing's changed? You're shagging her, mate? Something's definitely changed! This isn't normal. How could you do this to her?"

"Ron, for fucks sake, calm down and listen. I'm not hurting her; she's fine, as you can see. Mostly everyone knows…"

"Everyone already knows? And no one told me?"

"Why would anyone want to tell you, mate? Look at the way you're acting. You're going completely mental!" Sirius pointed out, calmly sitting on the bed.

"Harry has got to know…"

"And Harry will know, but we're the ones that have to tell him."

"When? When did you plan on telling him?"

"Soon." Sirius whispered, glancing up at Hermione, as if they were both afraid of the inevitable.

The three of them were quiet for a little while and Sirius finally made the decision that he and Ron needed to talk a few things out, before they returned downstairs.

"Hermione, love, would you mind giving Ron and I a few minutes alone?" Sirius asked politely, looking back at Ron.

Ron just continued to grump, saying a few off color things under his breath and watched Hermione nod and leave them. For what seemed like an hour, Sirius just looked at Ron, wondering if he wanted to have a go at him, or not. He understood, and respected that he and Hermione had this unclear relationship that never panned out into anything and there still might have been remnants of feelings floating in the air. It was the only gentlemanly thing to do; discussing it.

"Do you hate me, Ron?" Sirius started, leaning over and resting his elbows on his knees as he talked to him. He played it cool and relaxed, hoping it would settle Ron a little and perhaps, be a little less defensive.

Ron was quiet for a few seconds, "To be honest, I just don't like you very much, right now."

Sirius nodded and said, "I can understand that." A few more moments went by, "You know, I'm not playing her, mate. This didn't happen overnight."

Ron glared at Sirius with eyes of loathing.

"It was a month before she even looked at me. I wasn't trying to take her away from you." Sirius offered, waiting for Ron to speak.

"She wasn't mine to begin with." Ron whispered, thinking about himself with her.

"In the beginning, we had no intention of ending up like this. Over time, she started to see me in a different light, and I the same with her. It was hard, in the beginning, to see her anything but yours and Harry's friend. But, we realized we were friends, too. The attraction was there with the challenge with the Ministry and we sort of just fell into it." Sirius started his story, rehearsing the speech he was going to give Harry, when he went through this as well. "I didn't force her into anything, we did everything the normal, old fashioned way. She flirted, I flirted, we did the date thing, and we did the romantic thing and now…" his voice trailed off. "We're happy Ron. I think she is, too."

Ron looked away from him as he told the story, letting all the honest information sink into him, fairly. Half of him wanted to stand up and lash out on him, on behalf of Harry, but the other half of him thought that fair was fair. Ron wasn't with Hermione. By the time the law was in effect, he was with Lavender. Knowing what kind of person Sirius had been in the past was all he had to go on. In a way, he used to idolize Sirius, the way Harry did, by being the outcast, the rebel, the rough guy. Sure, Ron wished for his best friend to be happy, and sure in a way, he wished he wasn't so dense when it came to her, but he guessed that it was only fair that Sirius had gotten her fair and square.

He was after all, a decent guy.

After Sirius had told his story, he waited to hear what Ron was thinking. Instead, he watched his godson's best friend just nod and appreciate that Sirius had talked to him about it, man to man. At the same time, he couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth relieve a slight grin.

"Mum's gonna kill you, if you fuck up."

Sirius just nodded and answered, "I know."


	18. The Make Up

_A note from Serade Black Why an update so quickly, you may ask? It's sort of filler, you could say. This is the PG13 rating of what is on my LJ community: http/community. . I'm really eager to get through this story faster, so as promised, the next few chapters are going to be pretty quick. Chapter 19 should be out by next Wednesday, if not sooner Depends on how much real life work i get done._

_As always, I appreciate all your comments and suggestions and I hope that I've kept you entertained up until this point. Enjoy the chapter._

Chapter 18 : The Make-Up

Hermione was standing at the foot of the stairs, talking with Kinsley and leaving an open ear to any kind of mad shuffling from upstairs that would indicate Sirius and Ron were trying to kill each other.

After a few unsettling glances towards the stairs, she finally felt a sense of relief when she saw the two walking behind each other. Ron held a content look on his face and nodded to Sirius as they went their separate ways at the bottom of the stairs. He passed Hermione and just gave her a light squeeze on her arm, to let her know he'd be all right about it. Warming to the smile her best friend gave her; she nodded her quiet appreciation and watched Ron go back into the kitchen. Sirius returned to Hermione's side, taking a quick glance around the room to see who was in there, before he gently placed a hand on the small of her back.

He so desperately wanted to touch her, but had to make sure Harry wasn't in the room first. Seeing that it was only a small handful standing around in the sitting room, he leaned in to nuzzle her ear as she spoke to Kingsley.

"Is he all right?" Hermione asked in a quiet voice, already having told Kingsley why he was upstairs.

Sirius's subtle gesture was quick and he whispered into her ear, loud enough for Kingsley to hear, "He'll be fine. He's all sorted now."

"There's Harry." Kingsley whispered, alerting the couple.

Sirius tore his hand away from Hermione quickly, stepping back to offer her some personal space.

"Sirius, there you are! Care to stick around to play a bit of cards? I hear Charlie's got a vintage bottle of some muggle whisky and I know you'd never turn that down." Harry lured, trying to get some time with godfather.

Without even looking at Hermione for any signal, he knew where he really wanted to be that night. Though things seemed to be smoothed out, he was still aware of the damage control he had to take care of, back at home.

"With that kind of offer Harry, you're right, I couldn't refuse. However, tonight isn't so good. I'm feeling a bit under the weather and really feel that a special kind of potion Hermione has at home, will fix me up. Cards tomorrow, promise." Sirius lied, admitting to himself that it was the lamest excuse to go home and be with his woman, than he'd ever cocked up.

With a little fight, Harry finally agreed to let his godfather go home and rest up. With a few good-byes, the two were out the door and walking to Sirius's motorcycle. Without hesitation, Sirius shrugged off his leather coat and immediately turned it around for Hermione to get into. Appreciating his gesture, not even giving her a moment to remember that she might get chilled while riding, she thanked him with a warm sincere grin.

She zipped up the coat and said, "Now, you're going to be cold."

"Then I'll leave it to you, to keep me warm." He winked, throwing a leg over his bike and starting it up without even touching the handlebars.

Feeling the warmth fill her cheeks that she and Sirius were getting back to the way they were prior to the exams, she sighed a heavy breath of relief. She felt her heart skip that beat when he looked back at her, waiting for her to join him on his bike and gave her that famous flirtatious wink.

"Oh, you know what that wink does to me, Sirius," she teased.

"And that's why I do it; to make pretty young brunette girls swoon."

The engine roared just as Hermione was situating herself on the back and Molly Weasley was coming out the front door in a fury. She yelled at them that they were creating too much noise and the entire neighborhood was going to wake up.

"Sirius Black shut that infernal thing up!" She cried, rushing out to them as fast as her chubby little legs could carry her. "I'll have that black mop of yours as a cleaning mechanism if you…" Her voice trailed off into the night as Sirius quickly sped off down the street, eager to get out of her range.

The music of Hermione's laughter into the night filled Sirius's ears like his favorite orchestra. Her hands were tightly gripped around him, holding onto his body like her life depended on it.

Hermione loved the way Sirius made her feel so bad and rebellious. A couple of years ago, Hermione would never have left Molly Weasley standing on a stoop yelling at her, but would otherwise turn around and make sure she was always in good graces with her. But, with Sirius in the lead, she knew that they were a pair to be reckoned with. Molly may not have been too happy with their relationship, but at least the forced situation had turned out to be a good one.

She savored the vibration between her thighs as the roaring machine sped off into the darkness, winding down vacant streets, speeding past traveling cars, and flying between double decker busses as the muggles looked out too late to see them.

Since Hermione was riding on the back, she prevented Sirius from breaking any muggle laws that might draw attention, so he was forced to stop at any and all stop signs and red lights. Her hands would snake around him protectively, keeping her word to keep him warm. Occasionally, she slipped them up under his fitted t-shirt to feel his firm stomach and up to his toned chest. She scratched her nails over his bare skin, causing a light chuckle to come from him, that he snatched her hands out from under his shirt and lifted them to his lips, where he kissed every other finger.

Green light: hands back on stomach, he raced to the next red light.

Back in the comforts of their own flat, Sirius reached out and grabbed Hermione's hand as he finished locking the front door. He spun her around and pulled her close to him, resting both of his hands to frame her face. Looking deep into her honest chocolate eyes, he felt his breath escape him in a heavy sigh, wishing he could say what he really felt. He wished he could explain how emotional he had worked himself up that day, over the very thought of upsetting her like he had. It wasn't a matter of being denied, it was how silent the two were that entire day.

He had learned to love her, more than he was afraid to say. He wanted to taste her moistened lips and tell her how much his heart leapt whenever he thought of her smiling at him, but he was afraid. Send Dementors, Molly Weasley, Death Eaters or Voldemort his way, nothing scared him more than the thought of rejection, should he choose to declare to her how he had absolutely fallen in love with her.

Instead, he just let her touch his face as he closed his eyes slipping himself into a dark euphoria with her. Her gentle caress over his cheek and down around his neck by her fingertips were enough to put him to sleep, when he felt her feather-like lips touch his.

_She was his Heaven._

His acute senses were so drawn to her, he loved the sensation of her unique scent. Not the scent of any woman, but of a woman that had _his_ scent all over her body, no matter how hard she washed. She was a lovely mix of magic, muggle, witch and Aphrodite, that he was drawn to her like a moth to a flame. She had bewitched him with the delicate kisses she traced over his own mouth, freezing him in a state of shock and appreciation.

Her taste began to unleash the caged animal in him. She never made him feel inhibited, but he always felt like he wanted to save some special things for her. He thrived on hearing her voice speak his name, under the throes of passion, chanting his body for more, and upon nibbling her neck in soft love bites, he heard her first whisper of the evening.

"Sirius, I need you," she breathed, heavy with admiration.

They stood in their own living room, still fully clothed, Hermione still holding her purse and wearing Sirius's jacket, and yet the two of them felt raw and naked to each other.

"I need you, too, baby." He replied, feeling like that was the most he was able to get out that might be close to his real confession.

He slowly pulled her arms from around his neck and took the purse out of her hand, tossing it on the couch. He lifted his hands between their two pressed bodies, to inch his hands into his jacket she wore. As if he was shedding a protective skin of hers, he pushed it down off her shoulders, letting it fall to the floor.

Realizing that their slow undressing had begun, she pulled away from his seductive kisses to peer into his midnight eyes and began sliding her soft hands up under his shirt. With minimal effort, he helped her slide it over his head and tossed it somewhere behind him.

Always a pleasure to see, she dropped her eyes to his decorated chest, lightly touching each and every marking that appealed to her. His body art was a statement, having a story behind each tattoo; she hoped he never erased them. It was part of his being, part of his legacy, part of his dark side that were like secrets that she, alone, knew. She knew that she wasn't the only woman to lie naked with him since his departure from Azkaban, but she knew that she probably was the only one that took the time to discuss each bit of him with sincere consideration of why they were there and what made it more of him. He knew that.

As her fingers gently touched the crossed markings over his chest, he slowly leaned in and moved her hair away her neck, so he could leave soft hot kisses onto her skin. Upon doing so, he blew gently against them, causing her to shiver over the chilling breeze. This forced her to close her eyes and place both hands against his chest to stable herself from the intoxicating trance.

His fingers slid down to the hem of her shirt and slowly lifted it over her head. He was quick to drop it to the floor next to his own, and he immediately went to the fastenings of her bra around her back. She was pulled closer as he worked on it for a few seconds, placing her hands on his strong arms that she couldn't help but admire. Her undergarment was falling to the floor with the rest of their clothes, as he pulled her in tighter to crush herself up against him.

He sought her lips with his again, caressing her back as his hands reached up under her fallen curls and around to her neck. He pulled away from her, breathless from their touch, pressing his forehead against hers to pace himself.

Suddenly, more confessions started to come out, "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever been with, Hermione."

Her normal girlish instincts forced her to shake her head in denial, "Stop it."

He felt the breath escape him more, catching a little in his throat, with the very idea that she thought he wasn't telling the truth, "No, no." He kissed her nose, wanting to take the time to worship her every feature, "You are." He kissed her on her right temple, "I never want to lie to you, my darling."

She remained quiet, squeezing her eyes shut from the light tears that were beginning to form in her ducts. She wasn't about to get too emotional right now, not when he was telling her how wonderful she was, never when he was the first ever to declare individual things to her, rather than a solemn and simple "I love you.". Though, deep in the back of her mind, she wondered if that was what he was trying to say, instead of all the specifics. One thing was for sure, she wasn't saying anything back that was going to blow up in her face. Not when they'd come so far, not when they'd survived their first real argument, not when his tongue was doing small circles under her ear lobe in a fashion that was forcing her fingers to find the buttons on his pants.

It all happened so fast that she didn't even remember how they got there, but Hermione was pining for Sirius to thrust into her, when they didn't even make it into the bedroom, but were on the floor of their hallway.

Absolutely spent, the couple collapsed on top of each other, breathless and exhausted. They had just completed the hardest shag, either one of them had had together. As if they were going for the gold with this one, the judges actually came down and shook their hands at the same time. Two throbbing hearts tried to slow down, but the memory of the hard shagging together kept its pace up, that neither one of them could actually move.

After a few minutes, Sirius eventually pulled out and lifted his worn body from hers. She lay completely stilled, not wishing to move a muscle, so he bent down and picked up her broken little body and took her to bed. He moved in next to her, covering the two of them up and letting her move closer to him so that her head was resting on his chest.

He watched her gently run her fingers over his chest, outlining his tattoos. He loved that she was absolutely fascinated with them.

Finally, she slowed her movements and her breathing began to subside from their vigorous workout.

"Hermione? Darling, you still awake?" He whispered, caressing her head lovingly and waiting for her reply.

Very sweetly, her lips curled into a small grin and she murmured her answer.

"Thank you, love, for being who you are. I admire you for all of your strengths, that I wish my good family could have met you. I really wish you could have met my cousin, Andromeda; she would have really liked you.

I don't know where this is going to go after the law lifts, but if you'll let me, I promise to give you anything you ever wanted, Hermione. I would vow to do anything you asked of me and I swear…that I would love you until the day I died. If you would let me."

Hermione shifted a little in her lethargic sleep and whispered, "Did you say something, Sirius?"

Sirius closed his eyes with her question and realized that she hadn't heard a single word he'd said. The tired little thing had fallen asleep on his chest, after he had exhausted her beyond belief. Believing that maybe it wasn't time for her to hear it, he answered her with a no, and suggested that they fell back to sleep.


	19. Destiny Can't Come In

_A note from Serade Black: Well, yes, another chapter is out and available for your eyes. This chapter is rated PG13, and the higher rated version can be found on my livejournal (located on my bio page for Nothing essential to the plot of the story is left out in this version, so do not force yourself to read something you shouldn't._

_I've completed the outline for the rest of this story and have EVERY intention of finishing it. We're less than 6 chapters away from the end, give or take a couple and I'm really excited to finish one of the other 2 I've started._

_As always, you know I adore Sirius and Hermione and I'm so glad to hear that I've "turned" a few of you really onto this ship. I hope to meet more of you at Phoenix Rises and/or Prophecy 2007._

_Enjoy..._

Chapter 19

"Destiny Can't Come In"

Alone in the kitchen of their flat, Sirius held onto his Hermione tightly as she straddled his lap in a chair from their small table. She was easily distracted from her afternoon tea and wrapped her arms around his neck, sweetly kissing him. They're foreheads were together, listening to the other breathing, not saying a word.

His gentle hands slowly slid up and down her ribcage, letting his fingers slide over the cotton of her shirt. They weren't talking, just merely listening to the other breathing, enjoying the quiet silence and cherishing the intimacy they shared together.

Every now and then, Sirius would meet her lips with small chaste kisses and then go back to just leaning against her forehead. He closed his eyes and imagined they were the only two in the entire world doing the exact same thing.

He was grateful for the amount of intimacy they offered each other and the way that she held him close, smiling and giggling once and awhile, lifting his heart, releasing him of the dark prison he once knew. He was grateful for the type of person she was, intelligent, pretty, sensitive, clever, and considerate; something he'd never experienced all in one package. She made his heart skip a beat, she made him feel content and warm, and made him feel wanted, sexy and charming. She put him in his place when he needed it, she was stubborn enough to hold a good debate and she was probably the only one that took the time to see what he was capable of.

His very stomach would churn with the idea of someday not having her this way. As if he could ever put his arms around someone else and feel like this, quiet and alone in their little kitchen, not feeling like they had to be out on the town, or shagging the night away, or fighting. No, she seemed to understand him and had started to grow accustomed to his stubbornness. He wasn't perfect, that was definite, but the way she made his very skin shiver with delight, made him want to be, just for her.

He asked himself what he could do to make her smile that day. What was it in him that he had, that might keep her with him, if this law lifted? What was it about her that made him want to denounce his old prowling ways?

It was simple: love.

Sirius Black had fallen in love with Hermione Granger. He loved the way she whispered into his ear about whatever was on her mind. He loved how she rested her head on his shoulder when they slept, waking up to an arm wrapped around him. He loved how she was completely happy with straddling his lap in their kitchen, not saying a word and feeling relaxed.

She was his everything. She was his savior. She was his Godsend. She made him want to be a better man.

The following week together was good. It was better than good, it was by far the happiest the Black couple had been. Feeling like they had overcome an argument that was not deserved, they both promised the other that they wouldn't dwell on things for very long, thus strengthening the relationship.

But, Sirius's inner voice was having a battle with his conscience and he still wasn't sure how to commit himself to Hermione without scaring her away. Just as he thought before, she was far to young to want to commit herself to him, but when she asked what they were together, lying in their bed, half naked and happy, she was the one demanding the answer. Not him.

No, Sirius was the one that confessed his feelings first, only to have said it to a slumbering young witch lying against his chest. She never said anything about it, never added to it, never questioned it, therefore he knew that she never heard him. Maybe they weren't cut out for the "mushy" sort of thing, anyway. Someone like Hermione didn't get too wrapped up in those things, she was sensitive, and like every female, got a bit emotional, but to declare love for someone that was old enough to be her own father – out of the question.

_That's what he thought._

Hermione sat behind her desk, behind stacks and stacks of unread news articles that she had yet to go through. She wasn't behind, just the added tips that Tonks kept bringing involving Narcissa and Bellatrix. All of their activity had been noted, charted and documented, but there were still a few minor details that no one could pick up on. Having already proved herself in past captures, they left the mundane details to Hermione, who seemed to have a knack for catching minor things that the more advanced Aurors usually missed.

Re-reading a worn out document that had been retrieved from another raid at the Malfoy Manor, an owl perched itself over Hermione's cubicle. She recognized it to be one that Sirius usually used and she traded her letter for a Knut and treat.

Hermione settled back in her chair, always happy to see a message from Sirius while she was away from work, knowing that it always put an extra perk into going home. Lately, he had gotten fresh in his messages and she looked forward to getting these little teases in the middle of her work day.

As she unfolded the note, she noticed right away, it wasn't that kind of note.

_Dear Love,_

_I'm off to meet a friend for some advice and may not be home in time to leave with you. I'll meet you at the House. Sweet kisses on all your pink parts._

_Sirius _

It was an extremely short note for him. She was more used to lengthy, dirty ones that seemed to draw every minute detail out like the blueprints of a naughty escapade. Instead, he was only meeting someone and when he referred to the house with a capital letter, it meant Grimmauld Place.

Sirius arrived at Hogwarts on his motorcycle. He parked it against the wall, like he used to after he graduated, and had returned to flirt with the seventh years. Walking through those doors brought him such a rush, that he half expected the Headmaster to come down and wag a finger in front of him, with that hint of a grin, pretending that he didn't appreciate the Marauder's latest antics.

He walked ahead, taking his first right at the top of the stairs, letting them continue on and on to the floor that he needed.

His boots clicked against the stone as he walked, catching a few obscure looks from the portraits as they took a few moments to recognize him. A group of girls, he guessed to be sixth years, slowed down their steps as he greeted them with his flirtatious smile in passing. A couple of them stopped to gawk at the chiseled handsome man and his fitted denim jeans, but the Prefect amongst them pulled their attention away and took the initiative to talk to him.

"Can I help you, sir? I'm a Prefect and I need to know your business at Hogwarts." The blonde haired girl asked, pushing her glasses further on her nose.

"You're not a new professor, are you?" A giggling girl asked, immediately receiving a playful slap from the one next to her.

Sirius smiled kindly, flattered that the girls behind this nerdy one had taken to his charm instantly. "No, I'm expected in the Divinations classroom. No need to be worried."

"What's your name, sir?" The Prefect asked, tilting her head a little as if she recognized him from somewhere.

"Sirius. Sirius Black, love."

The girls behind the Prefect couldn't help but gawk a bit more, but they were soon hushed when their business with him ended. She obviously didn't care much for him and turned to shoo the girls away.

Upon their abrupt departure, Sirius just stared as the girls scurried along, watching them cast backwards glances at him. He heard a few voices say, "He married a girl only three years older than us!"

"Lucky witch!" the tailing one answered.

Sirius just shook his head and continued up to the highest floor, up the ladder and into the incense filled room.

"Professor, it's good to see you." Sirius smiled, offering the brandy smelling woman a hug.

"Sirius, it really has been ages, hasn't it? What can I do for you, dear?" She asked, her bottle cap spectacles nearly dangling off of her nose.

Sirius wasn't sure how to start, and paused to himself as he tried to think exactly what he wanted out of her. Sensing his uneasiness, she ushered Sirius over to a table

"What's troubling you? Something is definitely hanging over you."

Sirius grinned nervously for her, knowing that she could be trusted, he was still afraid to let someone else into his head.

"I have a few things that I wanted to talk about," He took a deep breath before answering, preparing himself for what he was going to explain, "and I need you to direct me."

Trelawney pushed her bottle cap glasses further up the bridge of her nose and pulled her sleeves back, rubbing her hands and getting ready for a difficult task.

"You're troubled, Sirius?"

Sirius hesitated for a moment, focusing on the tattered fabric that was the tablecloth before him. "I feel a little, misguided, Professor."

"Go on." She coached, opening every sense to his query.

"I need to know," he paused, taking a deep breath. "What's in store for my future? I just need some kind of sign, to whether what I believe, is supposed to happen."

"I know you're trying to be very vague, Sirius, but it's not helping. You need to let me in on what you're thinking, or I can't help you." Trelawney began, reaching for her tarot cards to begin a reading for him. She then placed an empty cup before him and poured him some tea from a whistling, floating teapot.

"Are you going to read my tea leaves, then?" He asked, thanking her and taking a sip from the china cup.

"No, boy, I'm just offering you tea." She corrected, as if it was the silliest thing he could ask.

He watched how she shuffled the cards, glancing over to her large crystal ball that sat on a stand to her right. "Now, again, what is it that you're unsure of?"

"I've been put into a situation," _I was forced to marry, Hermione Granger. _"That, up until a short time ago, had been pretty easy to figure out." _It was first a mission, but we ended up in bed together. _"I'm wondering if how I've been dealing with it, has been the right thing to do." _We've let ourselves be free, I fell in love with her, we've protected ourselves from harm, and I'm a little afraid that all good things must come to an end._

"See, much better. I understood that, fine." She nodded, laying out a number of cards to begin her reading.

Sirius held his hands in his lap, rubbing them together for lack of something better to do, and looked down at the cards trying to decipher their message before she did. But, as he looked down at them, upside down, he saw that they were in a language that he couldn't understand, with funny pictures that had no meaning.

Trelawney made a few small sounds under her breath, carefully concentrating on each and every card she passed out. With a shaking hand, she reached for her tea cup and sipped it loudly, breaking their silence. She took a quick glance over at her crystal, watching it change from a blue hue, to a purple one. Still, to Sirius, it was all foreign to him. Back at Hogwarts, he never really was any good at Divination, and even now, when he was older and worldlier, he still didn't know what the color changing ball meant.

"Well?" he tested, anxious to hear what it was she read.

She shushed him, afraid of losing her concentration and gathered up the cards that lay before her. She quickly turned them over, nodding her head a few times as if understanding the meaning and began dealing out another set of cards in the meantime.

"Sirius, it appears that you are in something very deep. Something that you may not come out of, the same man. Your life is at stake, as well as another's…and another's…and another's. You've got a lot of responsibility with this." She began, dealing out the second set of cards and glancing over at the ball.

Sirius narrowed his brow, as if finding all of that in those crazy pictured cards was insane. But, as he translated it for himself, he heard it the way she explained it.

"But, you feel inhibited, in some way. Something about you is changing, that I can see," she slowly drew out, watching the images in her crystal ball.

"No shit." He chuckled, running a nervous hand through his hair.

Trelawney only dealt three cards and waved a hand to levitate them and force them to change places. As they rested on the table she glanced back up at Sirius from behind hooded eyes through bottle cap glasses.

"This first card is telling me that you need to come to terms with the decisions you are making." _You need to face the music admit that you love this girl. _"You've put up wards to protect you and you must break them down." She raised her head a little higher, "Sirius, are you using magic to protect yourself from harm? I sense some kind of thick covering over you."

Sirius thought about any kind of magic that was around him and he nodded. The wards on the house, the wards he put over Hermione for her journey to and from work, their motorcycle riding was always foolproof and their nightly walks around muggle London were always protected.

"Release it. It's shielding your Destiny. It's been trying to get to you, to set you on your path, but you've otherwise been preoccupied to allow it to meet you. Cleanse yourself of anything you don't need, dispose of things that aren't of the elements and let your Destiny find you, again." She rambled, using her hands to talk quite theatrically.

"But, what is it, Professor? Will I like it?" Sirius pushed, finding that his pulse rate had increased, ever since she asked him to come to terms.

She bowed her head a little and gave him a friendly grin, "I'm not the one to answer that, Sirius. I cannot judge what part of your Destiny you will or will not like. You just need to let it find you and take you."

"Take me? Am I going to die?" He was quick to ask, moving to the edge of his seat, probing her for thorough answers.

She closed her eyes and shook her head, "I cannot answer that, Sirius." Trelawney sat back in her chair, feeling remorseful for what she was telling him and added, "You've already died, Sirius, this would just be another adventure."

"So, I do." He concluded.

She shook her head again, "Do not guess, Sirius. Just live. Release yourself and let Destiny find you."

Feeling worse than when he did before he went in, Sirius continued on to the Order meeting at Grimmauld Place. He walked into the kitchen and took an empty seat between his godson and Hermione. He looked longingly at Hermione and felt his heart weigh heavy with what Trelawney had said; afraid that it might mean he would be leaving her soon. This war seemed to keep going on and on, and though he felt like he was right in the thick of good things, he was always waiting for the other shoe to fall off – and it nearly has.

Hermione unfolded her hands and slouched back in her chair looking over at Sirius, "Hey." She whispered, offering him a small smile.

He just looked at her, his hands sitting nearly perfect in his lap and whispered back, "Hey."

She leaned in, "You okay?"

Sirius closed his eyes and sighed; feeling completely drained of any humor or normalcy, and nodded for her. At that time, Remus cleared his throat to begin the meeting and Sirius sat back in his chair to listen to his long time friend.

An hour later, the crew started to disperse and Hermione and Sirius were saying good-bye to Harry.

"Sirius?" Remus called from the dark corner of the kitchen, hiding in the shadows next to Snape.

Sirius was grinning at Harry, ruffling his hair like he used to James and looked over to Remus who was trying to get his attention. Sirius excused himself from Hermione and Harry and went to see what it was they wanted.

"So, you're okay? I mean, he's not getting on you, too much, is he?" Harry asked, smiling to his friend.

She shook her head, her dark bushy locks falling wildly around her head, "No, he's fine. He misses you, though. I can't tell you how much he really does want to spend time with you, Harry."

Harry nodded, already knowing all of this. He'd be happy to have his godfather back to himself, but right now Sirius was needed to be there for his best friend, "I know. But, you need him more than I do, right now."

_How true that is, Harry._

"Thank you, Harry. I'm sure you'll have him back, soon enough." She dreaded to say, causing those butterflies to erupt in her stomach, again. She couldn't think of being without Sirius at the moment, but knew that they would cross that bridge when they came to it.

Remus had put a friendly arm around Sirius, after they told him they had another mission for him. He had prepared him, by telling him that it wasn't going to be easy, it was going to change a few things and, for the good of the Order, had to go along with it.

"You are needed again, my friend. Voldemort has requested you, Sirius." Remus softened, with a quiet draw. "I won't beat around the bush; you're going undercover with the Imperious curse."

"Oh, come on!" Sirius shouted from the corner of the room, throwing his head back in exclamation.

Remus was quick to shush him, looking over at Hermione and Harry whose interest had been caught. "Sirius, it's all right, calm down."

"It's going to be fine, Sirius. You won't actually be going under, but you'll be at Snape's wand."

"You're a piece of shit, Snape." Sirius growled, thankful that there were witnesses around, so he wouldn't kill him.

"Voldemort sees you as the perfect avenue to get to Harry, so he's requested you, through Severus. You're going to go in, win them over with a very convincing performance."

"And Bella and Narcissa?"

"They will be there, too. They're meeting somewhere in Hogsmeade, and we need you two to scope it out and see what avenues are best to get in. You'll need to convince your cousins that Snape has the upper hand, at all times." Remus continued.

Sirius sneered at Snape, who slowly started to smirk in his direction, "This has been a wet dream for you, for some time, hasn't it Snivellus?"

"The only thing is," Remus paused, "you cannot tell Hermione."

Sirius looked up at him, as if he just offered him a one night shag, "What? Are you insane? She'll believe that I'm up on this entire quack." He shook his head, violently, "No, no, she has to know. This will upset her beyond reason, Remus."

"Afraid that your lady won't be too responsive?" Snape cooed, obviously poking fun.

"No, Sirius, she can't know. It's part of the plan. If Voldemort captures her-"

"Captures her? No! That's it, I'm not leaving her!"

"Sirius, listen. If Voldemort catches her, she needs to be convincing as well. She has to believe you're under the curse."

Sirius listened to everything that Remus was telling him, and nodded to himself that he finally understood what it was, that was happening. It was Destiny, knocking on his door. He hadn't released any magic warding over him, but he knew this was some kind of sign, or test that was being given and it was the truth.

This was a sure fire way to not end up the happy wizard, he secretly hoped he'd be, and he was forever in debt for cheating death, once already. Destiny was telling him that this was his mission, this might have meant his death, and that the time with Hermione, as he knew it, was going to come to an abrupt end.

"I wonder what that's about." Harry asked Hermione, watching the corner of men draw all the room's attention.

Hermione just stared at Sirius; he was obviously really shaken up over whatever it was they were telling him. The way his head fell, the fists he balled with his hands, and the way Remus was consoling him. A few more whispers from Remus and he started to nod, being convince with whatever it was they were telling him.

After ten more minutes of their heated discussion, Sirius slowly turned from the two men and walked over to Hermione and Harry. Without thinking, he took her hand and pulled her away from his godson, desperate for her.

Nearly losing her footing as she was being pulled away, she felt Sirius's fingers interlace with hers and squeeze hard. Out the door and to the stairs he took her, walking her up behind him, careful not to let her trip. He didn't say anything, but neither did she. When he got to the top of the stairs, he turned in the direction of his old bedroom and went in with her, closing the door behind him and turning back to her.

With the speed of a cheetah and the ferocity of a man that only had minutes to live, he drew her face to his and kissed her deeply, as if he was giving her his last breath.

A little overwhelmed with the way he was suddenly acting, she pulled away, "Sirius, what's wrong? What happened?"

He just shook his head, not saying anything and went in for her, again like a hungry animal. He didn't talk; he only fumbled with his pants zipper and started to push her back onto his old bed. The way he nipped her throat and his deep kisses, made her forget whatever it was she was asking and just let him control her. The immediate rush and the very idea that they might have gotten caught, tickled her somewhere below.

Sirius cleared his mind, going through each and every spell he could think of that he had put over himself to ward off anything that might attack them and was free of it all. That included the silencing charm over the room. The door was locked the old fashioned way and he heard Hermione begging him to lock it, properly.

With his lips on fire, biting down around her throat and licking her collar bone, she really didn't care much more for the door all of a sudden, and let him ravish her the way he intended.

"edit"

He drank in her scent, her touch, her voice; it was all being compiled into a small memory box in his head. She had become so much a part of him, it was sickening. Somewhere between the arguments, the lust, the mission and the pretending, he realized that he found himself in love with this witch.

Hermione straightened up, adjusting her skirt and leaving her underwear somewhere under Sirius's bed, and said, "Darling, feel free to ravish me like that, again."

He was zipping up his pants and pulling down his shirt when he couldn't help but smile for his young girl. He leaned over to cup her cheek into his hand again and gave her long, closed-mouth kisses. He loved feeling her mouth pressed against his and he absolutely loved tasting her.

Mindful of how they probably now looked, rustled hair, wrinkled skirts, they quietly emerged from Sirius's old bedroom and began down the stairs


	20. The Spell Has Been Cast

_A note from Serade Black: I'm starting to really kick out the big conflict that we're coming upon. I've gotten a lot of encouragement with this story, and I thank you all for really helping me drive this fic out of my imagination. This chapter is the same on my LJ, so you're not missing anything with this version _

_It's been a good ride, I look forward to the next few stories I've got up my sleeve and hope that you stick with me. _

_As for this story, please do not hate me for what I do to them. It's a story, it's fanfic, and it's all imagination. I'm still a few chapters out from the ending, so we're not quite finished with these two, yet. Their predicament is about to get darker and I hope you enjoy the rest of the ride!_

Chapter 20

"The Spell has been Cast"

The next day Sirius, Snape, and Remus all sat down around the table of Grimmauld Place. Molly had joined them in a way of making lunch for them as they talked, with her acting as mediator.

Sirius was not too happy about this mission ahead of him and would much rather just stick to not doing anything that he might risk losing Hermione. Instead, he was overruled by the two other Order members that sat on either side of them like looming gargoyles on a tower.

With a monotone, funeral director voice, Snape tried to lure Sirius in, "You should be thrilled, Black; another chance at glory and an opportunity to do some work, for a change."

Snape's voice was anything but sympathetic and dripped of sarcasm. It pleased him that he was going to have the upper hand in this mission.

Sirius narrowed his eyes on the greasy git and mumbled, "Piss off, Snape."

"Sirius, Voldemort requested you and this is the best time to take advantage of it. I know you don't want to leave Hermione out of this, but it's for her own good." Remus added, tilting his head to the side as he watched his best mate sulk more and more, trying so much to avoid this whole issue.

Sirius shook his head, not agreeing with either of them, "I can't just leave her out. She needs to know why the sudden change, or lack of appearance. I can't just walk out. Not now."

Snape focused on Sirius for a few minutes, carefully browsing into his thoughts on the truth of the subject. When he finally came across a hint of what he was alluding to, Snape revealed a slow and sardonic smirk and said, "Black, did we do something foolish and are ashamed to admit it?"

Sirius furrowed his brow a little more, unaware of his mental invasion.

Remus glanced over at Snape who was obviously still reading his mind and then he put the pieces together why Sirius wasn't jumping at the mission. It was true then, he wasn't just shagging her. There was more.

"Sirius, do you love her?" Remus blatantly asked. He saw the way Snape was smirking, so that only meant that Sirius put himself in a position that he was afraid to disrupt.

This time Molly turned around, intrigued with Sirius's answer.

Without a doubt in his heart, Sirius closed his eyes and nodded a definite "yes".

Snape couldn't resist a chuckle that he had found a weakness, "So, you've fallen in love with your godson's best friend. Well, I see that this really does add to the thick cauldron."

Remus smiled fleetingly, proud to discover his friend was capable of something so great, but immediately turned concerned for Hermione's mental state, "Have you told her, Sirius?"

Regrettably, Sirius shook his head.

"Well then, don't now. It's pointless to let her know at this stage. Not to mention what Potter might say." Snape warned.

Remus thought quietly for a few seconds, before agreeing with him, "He's right, Sirius. Don't tell Hermione anything, until this part is over. She may try and fight for you, and worse, get herself killed doing it. I hate to say it, mate, but you're going to have to distance yourself from her."

Sirius felt like his world was closing in on him. First his realization for Hermione, then the Destiny thing from Trelawney the quack, and now this?

"What exactly do I have to do?" Sirius asked as he ran his hands through his hair, only to rest his face into his palms, feeling defeated and already troubled.

Remus glanced over at Snape to see if he was going to explain first, but saw that the potions master was really more interested in Sirius's self pity than stating the facts of the mission.

"In a couple of days, Snape is going to block and dull your mind for you." Remus began.

Sirius looked up at Snape with eyes of loathing. He was absolutely disgusted with anything of Snape invading any part of him.

"He's going to make it so no other Death Eater will be able to read your mind and discover it's not real. You're not exactly going under the Imperious curse, but it will break down your mental mind. You'll need to prepare yourself for it. Take these next couple of days to cleanse your mind of everything and be ready to let it all go. This is going to take an incredible amount of strength and acting on your part, Sirius. I know you can do this." Remus reached out to his friend and rested a comforting hand on his arm. "From there, Snape will you take you to the Death Eater meetings where you'll interact with your cousins."

"Bitches." Sirius sighed under his breath. "If I accidentally kill one of them, will I be held responsible?"

"Yes." Snape was quick to answer. "You don't get a free ride with anything, Black."

Sirius looked up from the comforts of his palms and glared at Snape, not believing that the moron took him seriously.

"You're there to get another eye in. You're there to build confidence with your family and build the trust for Snape in Bellatrix's eyes." Remus continued on.

"Why? Trying to get a shag, are we? Don't bother, mate, you're not her type. Then again, she may stoop low enough." Sirius muttered, resting his head back into his hands.

Snape was quick to snatch his wand and aim it towards Sirius's throat, but before anything was cast, Remus grabbed Snape's wrist and quickly intervened.

"That's enough, Sirius." Remus warned pointing a scolding finger. "Now, you go in with Severus and allow him to lead. No heroics. No rescues. No confessions or righteous acts. You go in with Severus, you listen and learn. You act "dead", but alert. If anyone from our side shows up, you behave like normal. Do not change character, at any cost. The second that you falter and you're out. They'll not believe Snape was able to control you, therefore losing that respect. We need Bellatrix to trust Snape more than anything, so we can get in." Remus patted his friend arm, as it appeared Sirius was losing himself within his own thoughts. "Do you understand, Sirius?"

Quiet, still, and barely breathing, it was as if Sirius had already died. After letting it sink in, he nodded slowly and emerged from behind his shielding palms. He thought about what was ahead of him, the darkness he was going to enter and the state of mind he was going to put himself through.

That night, coming home late from the pub alone, he staggered into his bedroom where his sleeping witch hugged his side of the bed. Her hair was sprayed all around her, her soft skin bare from the sleeping tank she wore and the sheets hugged her form like she was a goddess. He didn't have the heart to disturb her sleep, so he took off his shirt, kicked off his shoes and fell into the chair in the corner. He rested his heavy head to the side and drifted off into his drunken slumber.

In the morning, Hermione stretched her body all over the bed like a big cat. All her limbs reached for the maximum distance and as she yawned ferociously, her hands were restless around her in a blind search. They traveled from one edge of the bed to the other, finding no other warm blooded body sharing it with her. Slightly alarmed, Hermione forced her eyes opened to look around the room and settled them on a sleeping Sirius, passed out in the chair in the corner.

Her face saddened as she got up from the tangles of sheets to go over to him, kiss him awake and ask why he didn't join her in bed. She leaned over his slumped body and put a hand to his chin to wake him.

"Sirius? Honey? Why didn't you come to bed?" She quietly asked, leaning over and letting her curls fall around her face like theater curtains.

He squint his eyes as he yawned, growling at the cruel sun that was sneaking in to invade their bedroom. Once he realized that a sweet angel was touching his face, he immediately forced his eyes to open so he could bask in her beauty.

"I didn't want to wake you," he coughed his morning sounds, "You looked too comfortable."

Hermione smiled at his considerate gesture and shook her head, "Never, not come to bed." She straightened up to go in the kitchen and start the morning coffee, "It's lonely without you."

Their quiet little flat was waking up around him as he slowly staggered into the kitchen to join his wife. She was already seated at their little dinette table, sipping her morning coffee and letting the toast butter itself. Sirius went into the cabinet to find some of the "hang over" potion he always had a supply of, for on this particular morning, his lonely late night drinking was reminding him of the damage he did the night before.

After find his nectar, his favorite elixir, he had his coffee fix itself and went to sit down with Hermione as they read over the muggle Sundays and Daily Prophet together.

"So, what are you going to do, today?" She asked, lifting her cup to her lips and savoring the warm taste.

Sirius looked up from the paper, thankful the little man in his forehead had ceased to bang its hammer along the inside and replied, "Anything you are."

"I was going to go to my parents this afternoon, but I wouldn't think you'd want to come with me. Unless, you want to?" She inquired, secretly hoping that he would join her. He'd only been out with her parents, maybe, twice and he'd never actually been in her muggle home.

He found it in him not to wince at the worst thought ever, but slowly nodded. As much as he dreaded going to her parents' house, he wasn't sure how much time he had left with her and didn't want to miss any opportunities to be by her side.

"They're having a gathering with their neighbors and friends, so there will be loads of muggles there."

Sirius just bit his lip and nodded for her.

This time, Hermione dropped her paper altogether and looked him straight in the eye, "Who are you and what did you do with Sirius Black?"

Sirius couldn't help but grin, but what he was agreeing to do did sound a bit out of character for him. He had to recover a little of what she knew and gave her that flirtatious wink to show her it was him.

"There he is!" She laughed, lifting the paper again to read.

Hermione poked her head back into their bedroom to check on Sirius's progress. She saw him just buttoning up a long sleeved black shirt, pulling it straight to fix any wrinkles, as he looked into the mirror before him.

She smiled, admiring how handsome he looked and walked into the room to look him over. "Not wearing the standard t-shirt and jeans today?"

He unbuttoned the top two buttons by his neck to leave room to breathe and show off his dark beaded necklace. He glanced over at Hermione, "No, thought that if it was your family and friends kind of party, then they probably don't want to be looking at all my tattoos. I've got to try and impress them, at least a little."

She shook her head, tilting it for his kind gesture, "Thank you."

He turned to face her, put his hands on her shoulders and leaned in mischievously, "But, we're taking my motorcycle there." And he gave her a wink, as if to say, I get one thing.

She sighed, giving into his one request, "Fine." And she followed him out of the bedroom, "But, both wheels stay on the ground!"

They arrived at the Granger's house, pulling up on the loud contraption and parking along the side. Sirius followed Hermione into her family house, taking a deep breath as he walked through the threshold for the first time knowing her.

When he first entered the muggle household, he couldn't help but grin at the first thing that met him. Right in front of the entryway hung a motionless picture; a picture perfect family with a very young Hermione, probably aged seven, sitting between her two parents. Sirius noticed the way both parents hand an arm or a hand around her. It was obvious just by knowing her, that Hermione had grown up around love and acceptance and never once, not even when they discovered her gift, did she have to prove herself. Something Sirius never truly knew.

"Sirius?" Hermione whispered, getting his attention as he found himself slowly moving his eyes over the muggle household.

He shook himself from his observations and followed his pretty witch towards the back of the house, where her parents were relaxing at a patio table on the deck of the backyard. He followed her outside, closing the door behind him and looked out to the small, but well manicured yard.

"Hermione, sweetheart, we didn't hear you come in." Mrs. Granger stood up, going to her daughter for a hug while holding a Martini glass.

"Sirius, good to see you, again." Mr. Granger announced, standing up from his chair to shake his hand and pat him on the shoulder.

Sirius nodded, smiled and enjoyed the warm greeting from her parents. It was obvious that the few dinners and apartment gatherings with her parents had begun to smooth things over with them. Sure, they weren't entirely happy with telling people that their only daughter ran away and eloped with a secret beau, but they understood the consequences otherwise, and were pleased to see that she was well protected in the wizarding community. They had told each other, her parents, countless times that this wasn't permanent, until Hermione had sprung it on them that they decided to be together. This brought Sirius into a whole new light in her parents' eyes. Not only was he first responsible for being their daughter's protector, he now entered a new position that he had to respect and honor her.

It was a surprise, at first, but Hermione had smoothed everything over that Sirius was indeed, good to her and had done nothing to force it. As she explained in so few words, "it was a long time coming." She said, regarding her crush.

More people started to filter in through the back door, front door and side fences as the gathering was getting larger. Sirius wasn't sure where to fit in, so he stepped aside to let friends greet each other without standing in the way. He strolled to the farthest corner of the yard where a couple of small children played and went to go talk to them, as the adults made their presence known.

Hermione and her mother were busy in the kitchen, finishing the preparations on some deviled eggs and finger sandwiches when her mother initiated more personal conversation.

"So, you're really okay? Anything you can tell us, you know, from your world?" Mrs. Granger started to pry, still not feeling she knew everything yet, even after all this time.

Hermione shook her head, "It's better not to talk about it, right now, mum. I don't want you and dad to be occupied with thoughts today. We'll talk about it another time."

"And Sirius," her mum started with a pause, "really is, treating you…"

"Mum, he's great." She confirmed, glancing over at her mother. She knew this was a big concern for her. "He's not perfect, but he tries."

Her mother glanced out the kitchen window to see Sirius along the fence, kneeling down and talking to the small kids that were playing alone.

"We know. We just have to ask, now and then. He looks nice in that shirt, Hermione. Did you buy it for him?"

Hermione joined her mother to look out the window at him, smiling when she saw him talking to the little girls. "No, he found that himself. It's black, mum. It's all he practically wears." She added, shaking her head and returning to her sandwich making abilities.

Mrs. Granger cleared her throat and continued cutting baby vegetables, "Has he told you, he loves you, yet?"

Hermione slowed her hands as she thought of how to explain it, other than just saying no, "Not yet, no, but…"

"He does, you know." Mrs. Granger interjected, cutting away, saying it as if she was commenting on the weather.

"I don't know, mum. Can we not talk about this, right now?"

"I'm surprised to see it, to be honest. Never really thought he was capable of it, but I know how much you need him to do this, job, or whatever it is. But I saw it today, right when he walked in and greeted us."

Hermione turned her head towards her mother, as the bread folded themselves over the small cuts of meat she had prepared.

"I know I may be speaking silly things, and you are the witch in the family, but I still felt something the moment he walked in. Something radiated off of him and he's always beaming when he looks at you. Maybe you can't see it," she paused, "But, a mother knows. That's our magic."

Leaving her in her thoughts, Hermione glanced out the window to see Sirius smiling to the two little girls that were now allowing him to spin them, in a dance.

"Do you love him?" her mother simply asked.

Hermione watched the way he smiled, focusing all his attention on the gigging little girls that held his hands, spinning around before him. She watched the way his face showed no hate, or cruelty when he focused on something he cared for. Maybe that's what her mother saw, maybe that's what she was seeing for the first time, because it wasn't really something she was looking for.

With a simple small nod, she answered, "Yes, I do." As if it were something she was afraid to admit, knowing that the last of the walls had been torn down and nothing stood between them.

Mrs. Granger just nodded, a bit worried that this wasn't who they had anticipated as a mate for their only child, but if she was happy with him, they couldn't make decisions for her. Her life, as a witch, was sure to be full of changes and unexpected surprises, and it probably wasn't in her to want to court a man that wasn't like her. Sirius seemed to be what she needed right now, and neither muggle parents were going to tell her otherwise, for their little girl had grown up.

"No more, dear. Finish those sandwiches and take them outside, all right?" her mother instructed, ending their personal conversation and leaving Hermione to her thoughts.

As if a little fire was ignited in Hermione, she smiled to herself. Still a little afraid, she wasn't going to force him to say anything and was just going to let things unfold. They didn't know if they'd be there months from now, or even the next day, so the best thing to do was to let them ride it out and show their own colors, if what her mother had said was true.

"Mr. Sirius, do you have any kids?" One of the little girls he was currently giving a swing asked.

He chuckled, carefully setting her down and changing between the two, "No, but I do have one godson, though. So, he's kind of like a kid."

"Why didn't you bring him here to play?" they giggled with their human swing.

"Because, he's much older than you. He's eighteen, so he would probably be a bit of a bore." Sirius joked about Harry with the little girls.

"Hi, Hermione!" the little girls said in unison as they hung from Sirius's limbs. They were too involved in stretching him to pieces, than giving a proper greeting.

"Hello, Caitlin, Sabrina, what are you doing to Sirius?" She grinned, coming upon a picture of what would normally look painful by the hands of Death Eaters, but something told her two five year old little girls weren't going to do much damage.

"They're trying to split me in two, I think." Sirius laughed, utterly impressed with their young strength, that he was glad he took his hang over potion that morning, otherwise the little man with the hammer might return from his long lunch break. "We were dancing, but then it started to turn ugly."

"Girls, why don't you go inside and get a Popsicle. I heard Mrs. Granger has a secret supply and if you bat your eyes nicely at her, she might just give in." Hermione coaxed, trying to relieve him of his duties.

The little girls immediately dropped hold of Sirius and took off running towards the house, giggling and filling the yard with pleasant sounds.

"I had that situation under control, I'll have you know." Sirius added, straightening the cuffs on his shirt.

Hermione bit her lip and nodded, folding her arms in front of her, "Yes, I could see that. Did you decide that before or after they nearly took you down?"

He pointed at her and said, "But, they didn't take me down!"

She giggled for him and leaned in closer. He immediately pulled away and said, "Your parents will go mental, Love. These are your family friends. I don't think we should..."

"I don't care what they think. Half of them know I'm married; they just don't know who to." She was quick to finish.

With that settling in, he read it all over her face that she was fine with letting it out. He was as much a part of her, as she was of him. Now, if they only got the courage to say what they meant, they'd be damn near perfect. But, we're talking about two very stubborn people that are afraid of getting rejected.

He leaned in just in time to hear Mrs. Granger calling for Hermione and the kiss was chaste. She excused herself and skipped off to meet her mother who was calling from the sliding back doors to come and help her with more food for the guests.

Standing there alone, Sirius looked around him and admired the backyard. It was a perfectly manicured lawn, complete with side garden. A tree swing that the two little girls had taking a new interest in, hung from a hundred year old oak. There were pretty curtains that accented the windows on the moderately sized two-story house, that he knew was as big as the exterior. There was nothing magical about this house, except for the young witch that once inhabited it. He knew that the corner room with the bay window was Hermione's. He could tell from the pastel blue curtains, that she looked out that window and into the sky when she was a child, wondering why she had such special gifts. He imagined her face when she got her letter; that sweet, pretty young face whose mind held all the answers. It was then that she knew where she fit in.

Hermione then said good-bye to the world of perfect lifeless gardens, trees that don't move, dressers without bogarts, postmen, kitchens without house elves and hello to magical motorcycles, enchanted portraits, ogres, and magic wands.

Sirius shook his head from his roaming thoughts and remembered the cigar he put in his pocket before he left the flat, thinking that this was the best time to enjoy it without Charlie telling him every single minute detail about it. Finally, he would be able to enjoy it in peace, without humoring him just to get one out of him.

Just as Sirius lit it, someone standing by the tire swing that the little girls had adopted, made their way over next to him. A slender man, probably Sirius's age, but looking nowhere near how he did, nodded in his direction. This man looked like his forties were knocking on the door with his polo shirt, khaki pants and loafers, whereas Sirius was easily mistaken for a man just entering his thirties with his faded denim blue jeans, boots and black fitted shirt with beaded necklace.

Being polite, the man smiled and took his own cigar out to smoke next to him.

_Fucking great. Please don't say a word about your cheap, imitation Cuban, mister._

The man smiled and extended a hand to shake, "Paul,"

Sirius smiled and shook his hand, removing the cigar from his mouth, "Sirius, nice to meet you."

"Likewise." The man added, enjoying a long puff off his cigar. "Cuba." he remarked over his luxury.

"Romania." Sirius replied, holding it with his teeth, seeing if he could impress the man. He had to do something to distract himself from that horrible shirt he was wearing. He secretly hoped it wasn't a family member of Hermione's; otherwise he was going to have to take her aside and make her ask him to change that shirt. The repeated pattern of fish golfing made his stomach churn at the thought that anyone would even market that shirt. _Only muggles._

"Romania? Wow. How did you acquire that?" Paul asked, taken with something so exotic. He never even knew that Romania had a market for cigars.

"A friend of mine works over there and he brings them back now and then."

"Really? What does he do over there?"

Sirius was quick, "He works with animals. Saving them, training them, domesticates them. Nothing fancy."

The two men stood in silence for awhile, trying to find something else better to do.

"Known the Granger family for long?" Paul asked, exhaling smoke in rings.

"A few years now, yes." Sirius answered being as vague as possible.

"Here comes their daughter," Paul announced, grinning as Hermione came closer to the two men. "Have you met her?"

Sirius nodded, "Yes. Yes, I've met her. Long time, ago."

"Hi Paul. Can I get you gentlemen anything to drink?" Hermione offered, smiling kindly to them equally.

"Guinness." Paul was quick to answer, his lips covering the tip of his cigar to taste it, once again.

"Surprise me, love."

Giving him a sweet wink back, practically mocking him, she turned on her heel and went back up to the house to get their orders.

"I don't know how long you've known the Grangers, but their daughter has grown up into a mighty fine looking lady." the muggle Paul commented, watching Hermione cross the small lawn and disappear into the house. It was clear, that this man had no idea where Hermione had gone, or worse, who she had married.

Feeling a bit curious in hearing what this man was about to say about his lady, he played ignorant and let the man continue to put his foot in his mouth. "She has, I'll agree."

"I remember her when she was a little young thing, bushy hair, bucked teeth, gangly. But, she really has blossomed into a beautiful girl. I think she's about eighteen, now."

"Nineteen," Sirius was quick to correct. A reminder for even himself that he was still twenty years older than she.

"Nineteen, yes, I suppose that's right. She's been off somewhere at school. Her parents said she got a job working in an office. Something clerical, I think. Really, really bright that girl."

Sirius just nodded in agreement, waiting like a preying tiger, to spring up on this guy if he said one thing out of color about his Hermione.

"Parents said she got involved with an older guy somewhere along the line and she's been off with him. I'll tell ya, that's one lucky guy." Paul seemed to finish, taking his cigar to his lips.

Sirius nodded in agreement as Hermione emerged with two bottles for the men, "I'll have to agree with you, there."

"She probably gives that guy a run for his money," he started to nudge Sirius in a friendly manner, "if you know what I mean."

"I imagine she does." Sirius smiled as Hermione got closer.

She handed the men the two bottles and added for Sirius, "Guinness, I hope that's okay?"

He put his arm around her, quietly thanking her, "It's fine, love."

"Would you come with me? Someone wants to meet you." she asked him, softly taking a hold of his arm.

Sirius nodded and looked back at Paul who stood there, watching, "Oh, did I mention we're married?"

As Sirius took Hermione's open hand, Paul nearly dropped his cigar in embarrassment that he was talking all this time, about another man's wife. He watched the two walk off together, never believing that the little Hermione Granger would ever get wrapped up in a man like him.

The next day marked the first day of Sirius's mission, beginning with Snape's mind blocking spells. Snape had put Sirius under a trance, much to his resentment, and allowed Snape to begin controlling the power and will of his mind to otherwise act as a wall. Through this, his mind was to be cloudy even to himself. If anyone were to try and read it, they wouldn't be able to decipher what the truth was. It was a form of protection that was for Sirius's own good and a tool in making his performance believable.

Remus watched on, acting as a referee, whenever the two men started to anger one another with their rude and vicious comments. Remus trusted Snape with what he was doing, as it was long proven that Severus was, indeed, on the good side. Sirius however, still had his doubts, but it was more out of spite that he felt this way.

"Sit still, you fool, or I'll accidentally make a wrong incantation and erase your entire memory." Severus threatened, watching someone he loathed as much as Harry twitch and shift nervously in his chair.

"Even without a brain, I'll still be able to know who the slimy git is that did it to me. I'll still be able to kick-"

"That's enough, Sirius! Let Severus do his job. You're just making it harder." Remus intervened, sighing as the two men's bickering sounded much like the beginnings of Hermione and Sirius's marriage when they were first thrown together.

"I still don't agree with this, Remus! He's poking around in my thoughts and I feel extremely violated." Sirius pouted, slouching down in his chair as the thoughtless eyes of Snape were on him like a hunting animal.

"The only one who should feel violated, Black, would be Miss Granger and that horrific act you performed on her last week." Snape was quick to comment, making a repulsed face towards what he had just discovered in Sirius's memory mind.

"That's enough, Severus. Please continue and try your least to distract him," Remus begged.

Finally, after the two loathing allies surrendered to the other, Snape was finally able to invade Sirius's mind enough to begin its blocking. It was told that though Sirius would have control over his emotions and thoughts, it was also added that they were, at times, to feel empty and defensive. That was the blocking mechanism kicking in and he might begin thinking or feeling certain things differently.

After about thirty minutes, Sirius started to feel weary and concluded that he was absolutely spent. His frame of mind was already different and he could feel the vast change in thinking so freely. He felt as if his head was heavy, or bored, or somewhat unentertained. Not even feeling up to ride his motorcycle home, he apparated back into his flat from their secret spot outside Grimmauld Place and slept the rest of the day away, creeping into the early evening.

Hermione came home to find her husband napping soundly in their bed and was careful not to wake him. Leaving a note, she went out for the rest of the night with Harry and Ginny. When she returned home, she found him still sleeping and quietly prepared for bed.

When she got up for work in the morning, he still hadn't moved much. When she alerted him of her departure for work, he seemed to be still completely sapped of his energy that he barely said good-bye to her as she left. Concern fell on Hermione, but not too much, as she probably guessed he was coming down with a cold or something to put him "out of it."

When Hermione returned home that evening, Sirius had left her a note letting her know that he had gone out with Harry and didn't expect to be home at a responsible hour. Accepting that, she had dinner by herself and retired to bed with a book.

True to his word, Sirius stumbled in drunk around three in the morning and didn't want to wake up Hermione. With his mind already cloudy enough, he managed to make the decision to not invade the bedroom and passed out on the couch, instead. He kicked off his shoes and removed his jacket, but he couldn't be bothered with anything else and fell into the cushy folds of the sofa.

In the middle of the night, Hermione's sixth sense alerted her something was not right, so she got up to check on him. To her surprise, there was nothing wrong with him. She looked him over; stretched out on their sofa like an unaware frat guy with limbs all draped over the sides of the couch. Her heart was relieved to know he was, at least, home and covered him with an extra blanket from the bedroom. She returned to their bed alone and started her morning routine when her muggle alarm clock alerted her to start her day.

Already a little offset, Hermione's day didn't seem complete. Her workload was average, her assignments were uneventful, and her mind seemed to be elsewhere; her mind was on Sirius. She knew that he was missing his time with Harry and had said from the beginning that she'd understood he needed to get away from time to time to keep that bond with him, but something else seemed to be preoccupying her thoughts.

She came home to another note, advising her that he had some urgent business with Remus and was going to be home late. Like before, she ate dinner alone and fell asleep under a book in their bed. She started to stir awake a few hours later to the sound of Sirius coughing as he entered the flat. She thought him a bit inconsiderate of her sleeping, but was still relieved that he was home. He staggered into the bedroom and saw her beginning to stretch from her slumber.

"Sorry, didn't think you were home." He apologized, pulling off his t-shirt and going into the bathroom to get ready for bed.

"Didn't think I'd be home? Where else would I be?" Hermione asked, waking up enough to set her book down on the side table and fix her pillows to go to sleep properly, rather than propped up.

"I dunno, out with Harry or something?" he called out; his mouth full of toothpaste.

"You know I try not to go out on nights I have to be up early for work." She replied, slightly put-off. "You all right?"

He came back into the bedroom and stripped off his jeans to change into his linen pajama pants, and tossed the discarded clothes on a chair. He pulled the comforter back and slid himself in, oblivious to her eyes of concern.

"Fine," he answered quickly.

She hummed no reply and curled up next to him, placing an arm over his waist as rested her head on his chest. Mechanically, he pulled her in close and laid his hand on her back as he drifted off to sleep.

Two weeks had gone by and Sirius was sitting in the kitchen of Grimmauld Place, with his elbows on the table and his face in his palms. Never in all his days, did he remember his body feeling worse than it did now, even with the strongest of hang-overs. From Snape warping his mind with all the blocking spells in the beginning, to pretending to be a Death Eater's puppet, to lying to the one person that mattered most to him, Sirius was forgetting himself quickly. He wasn't himself, his diet was shite, his appearance looked disheveled and he had this constant feeling of nausea washing over him from time to time.

"I'll be so happy when this is through, Remus. I've never felt so awful and out of touch before. Put me back inside the Veil, for fucksakes. I swear, Snape's gone inside my head and rearranged a few things while he was at it." Sirius growled, rubbing his face as if trying to massage the fatigue away.

Remus nodded, hopeful for his friend and poured him a cup of strong coffee. "How is Hermione, at home?"

Sirius sighed, finally removing the rough palms from his face and said, "She's all right, I guess. No, I lied, she's not good. I can tell she's really holding back what she wants to say, but it's not good for her. I haven't been home much, with her. I've told her there's been stuff you and I are planning, I've lied and used Harry quite a few times and it's really just catching up to me. Occasionally, we'll argue over little things, but nothing big. Yet. It's just really putting a strain on us, Moony."

"I can guess."

"I just wish I could tell her."

"You can't, Sirius!" Remus was quick to remind.

Sirius rolled his eyes and slumped back in his chair like a petulant child, "I know, Remus. It's just...I cannot wait for this to be over. I want things to be like they used to, with her. I don't feel like myself, I don't act like myself, and personally, I don't like myself at all, right now. Hermione stays home, while I'm out running around with that git, listening to my own family plot horrendous things against us." he looked up a bit worried, "I'm going to need therapy after this, Moony."

Remus looked at his friend and paused. He saw a small smile creep across his friend's face and then finally was relieved that at least, a little of the real Sirius was still in there.

After morning coffee, Sirius went back home to sleep it off for the rest of the day. He apparated back into the living room from the secret spot outside Grimmauld Place and just when he "popped" in, he was met by the severe voice of Hermione, dashing in from the kitchen, holding a frying pan.

"Where, in the name of Merlin, have you been?" She bellowed, still holding a frying pan from her breakfast.


	21. It All Comes to an End

_A note from Serade Black: We come upon another quickly added chapter. Some of you believe that all endings should be happy ones, this might steer you into another direction with your educated theories. I guess you'll just have to stay till the ending to see how everything turns out..._

_Enjoy the chapter. It's rated PG13 and it is the same on my LJ._

Chapter 21

"It All Comes to an End"

Hermione flew out of the kitchen, still wearing her pajamas, hair pulled back in a messy bun of curls, her eyes red and watering, holding a frying pan. It appeared that she had been up crying all night. Sirius closed his eyes, wishing he could feel his own emotions right now, but instead, still felt the repercussions of what his mission forced him to do: be numb. His worrisome girl stood in front of him, looking completely a wreck, frustrated and angry.

Sirius stood there, caught like a deer in the headlights and after he knew she wasn't going to hit him with that frying pan, just sighed, "Not now, Hermione."

"Not now? When, Sirius? When would be a good time to ask you where you've been for the last two nights?" She insisted, trailing behind him as he slowly walked to their bedroom.

"I wasn't gone for two nights, just one!" Sirius turned around on her, starting to get irritated that she was giving him the third degree.

"You came home the night before in the middle of the night! I never even saw you, Sirius, until I left for work. And now, it's today. I woke up this morning with no idea where you were, that I nearly floo Remus."

"Don't floo Remus. Don't bother him when he's with Tonks." Sirius moaned rolling his eyes at her. His muscles were beginning to drag and he just turned on her to go back to bed, not impressed with her demands.

Hermione was taken aback by the way he so easily dismissed her, as if he didn't care, as if he were a walking zombie, as if he wasn't Sirius! All she wanted was an honest answer about where he was last night, without sounding too suspicious and asking around. If she went around and asked the Order members where he was, they would turn on him and have their own doubts, thus resulting in a feud between her and Sirius, and the Order and Sirius. If they didn't have an answer for her, then it would believed that Sirius was up to something fishy.

Hermione Granger was not going to accept this so easily, not when he was retreating into their bedroom, not when he was walking away from her, not when she had been put through two nearly three whole weeks of this "ignoring" phase. Sirius hadn't properly kissed her in over a week, their bed felt cold and lonely, and half of the time he wasn't in it, either still at Grimmauld, or on the couch. Something was definitely up. Would this be called a seven year itch...at nearly seven months?

"Sirius, I think we need to talk about this. I stayed home from work today, because I was so upset over you. I've been up most of the night, worrying about where you've been. This has got to stop." she said, rushing it out before he could quiet her.

Sirius felt numb to her, for the moment. Snape's spells seemed to be not only weighing heavy on him, but they were coming home with him, too. Ever since he had agreed to this mission and fake the Imperious curse, he had not been himself and his heart was no where in the right place. Even, and this was hard for Sirius Black to admit, his libido wasn't on par. Sex didn't matter to him, he had no drive for it, and the thought of doing anything but sleeping right now, disgusted him.

"No, Hermione, not now. Now, I'm going to take a shower and go to bed. I've had a rough night and I really want to just sleep it off, please." Sirius was tearing off his shirt and throwing it on the floor.

Hermione felt like a ball of fury and ran up behind him, picking up his dirty shirt and throwing it in the proper hamper. Even angry, she still felt the need for cleanliness control.

"No, Sirius, I believe this matter is far more pressing than your beauty sleep."

Sirius spun around on his heel, looming over her, calming himself before he just started screaming, "No, Hermione, I'm done. Let me be, leave me alone and we'll talk later."

He was ignoring her. He was avoiding her. He was shutting her out completely. He had, as painful as it was to admit, disrespected her.

Without warning, she bit her lip, holding back her tears and slapped him hard across the face. "Maybe THAT will bring you back to your senses!"

Sirius stood there stunned as he raised a hand to his stinging cheek. The power of her slap knocked him awake, all right, it knocked him awake to actually catch himself, count to ten and not follow her out of the room as she spun on her heel. Instead, Sirius swore under his breath at himself, and went into the bathroom to take a shower to cool off.

When he emerged from the steam filled room, she was gone. The flat was empty and silent. There was a sense of nothingness in there with him, and he knew it was because she wasn't there. Her energy, her love, her being had vacated his presence and the only way he was going to deal with it, was by collapsing face first on top of the bed. His eyes were just closing, sleep was coming to take him and as he drifted away, the lingering smell of Hermione's perfume filled his senses as he lay on her pillow. Her sweet, calming, hypnotic scent that he had learned to find irresistible, was now invading his mind, wishing that he had her with him at that very moment.

Sirius ran his hand over the soft sheets, thinking back when she first came to him in that very bed and the memories they made together there on after. How he wished that he had her in his arms, wrapped around her slender form, acting as her protector. His opportunity to admit to her his true feelings had left him high and dry and he knew that it was going to take a long time of making it up to her, before he was able to touch her, again.

As the silent flat settled around him in the late hours of the morning, the sunlight filled the room on his otherwise, somber mood. No light was too bright, no feeling occupied his mind and no one around was going to keep him awake from his slumber, as he finally let his mind escape into a dream state.

Another week went by and Hermione had found solace at her parents' house. She'd left her reasons short and sweet with her parents, believing that this was just a "rough patch" that she and Sirius were going through. She'd gone home one night out of them, but still slept alone under her own roof. Feeling the flat empty like it had been, empty of that intimacy that seemed to have left she and Sirius faster than a wand sale at Ollivander's, she didn't feel safe there anymore.

Hermione packed a few things for the next few nights, again, and this time went to Grimmauld Place, knowing there she wouldn't be alone. Harry would be there, and though she couldn't tell him what she was really going through with his godfather, she could at least try and pretend things were okay, and just want to be at Grimmauld for awhile. If he asked, she'll just say that she needed some space.

Harry was out for the evening, and it appeared that Hermione was, again, alone. The Black house seemed eerie on that particular night, feeling for the first time, she didn't belong. Maybe it was the energy of she and Sirius not currently getting along and his spirit was telling her this. Maybe it was her own paranoia and the only way to fix that for the moment, was to prepare herself a nice warm cup of tea with chamomile, so she could relax. She'd sneak herself a sweet snack from the fridge that Molly had made for the Order meeting the next night and make her own self, be all right.

Remus came into the kitchen to see a bed bound Hermione, carefully reading a book by candlelight at the large table in the center. The same table they gathered for Order meetings, the same table they shared dinner on and the same table they decided on Hermione and Sirius's marriage law. His face fell with the idea that she was probably there, because she didn't want to go home.

Already knowing the answer, he pursed a question, "Hermione, what are you doing here?"

Hermione jumped a little with the sudden company and break of silence, but was relieved to know that it was Remus who was joining her.

"I didn't feel like going back to my parent's house, again." She sighed, closing the cover of her book and staring off into the blue flame of the low burning candle. She looked up at Remus as he started to prepare himself a cup of tea to join her, "Did Sirius tell you about that?"

"About going to your parent's house? Yes, he told me." Remus nodded, his back turned to her and facing the kitchen counter.

Wondering if he said anything more, she advanced, "Has he said anything else, Remus?"

Remus kept his back turned, truly not wanting to be in the middle of their fight, but pained that all this was caused by a mission in the Order. Another mission that was necessary by the Order to follow through with. He hadn't planned for Sirius and Hermione to go through this, but at the same time, he hadn't planned for the couple to even start a real relationship. It was terrible timing for them, for Sirius to get involved in this second mission, but it was out of their hands. If Voldemort requested him, then it was essential to the plotting plans. Using Sirius as another form of spy, was very valuable and it helped cover Snape and reinsure his position in the Dark Lord's eyes. They had to follow through with the drastic request. They had made progress. Though a bit of convincing was needed on Bellatrix's half, already the sisters believed Snape to be in complete control of their fellow Black's mind and were using him as a tool. They were very much "in".

On the other hand, they had no idea how long this was going to go on, and Hermione was still seen as a pawn in the game as well. One of the pieces, Sirius, had already been moved and it was only a matter of time before they put him into play. If anyone was to get their hands on Hermione, they would surely torture her for the truth with Sirius, had she known what he was set to do. If they used Verituserum, she would have spilled everything without even knowing it. For Hermione not to know any part of this plan was essential. They'd know that Sirius's own wife would know what he was doing.

It was hurtful to watch the once loving couple fall apart like they slowly had been. From the first day of Sirius's mind being affected, you could see a definite change in him, from body to soul. His feelings, including those for Hermione, had dulled. Even his demeanor with Harry wasn't as "fatherly" as it once was, and it seemed to be taking a toll on him as well, but in another way. Sirius often complained of fatigue, irritability, no reason to care and finally, no respect for authority. Several times, he'd picked a fight during the Order meetings and everyone around them saw that the Sirius Black that now sat with them for business was another man; a darker man.

"Not much, Hermione." Remus started, turning around with his steaming cup of water, slowly dunking the tea bag up and down. "But, I know what you two are going through."

She bowed her head, letting her shoulders slump, feeling that this was what it felt like to lose someone you loved, "It's been like this for a month, Remus. He just seemed to change and I don't know what I've done wrong."

"You haven't done anything wrong, Hermione. It's…" he paused, not quite sure to say it like this. "It's him."

Hermione's newly watering eyes slowly looked up at him, "I wish he'd talk to me."

"He doesn't talk to you?"

"Well, not like he used to. Up until a week ago, he would come home late, come home drunk, pass out on the couch, raise his voice at me," her voice was calm and quiet, like she was absolutely spent with crying. "I just don't know how to explain it. I suppose," she made herself chuckle, out of fear, "the honeymoon's over."

Remus's heart was breaking for her and he reached out to rest a hand on hers that lay lonely on the table, "Don't say that, Hermione. I'm sure he's…he's just going through a spell."

She shook her head convincing herself, "No, he's just made up his mind that things aren't supposed to be. Just as well, he is twenty years older than I am."

Remus shook his head, quietly telling her not to think that way. He wished he could tell her, he wished he could tell her that Sirius admitted that he loved her, but he just didn't say it in time.

"I was a fool to even fall for him. I was just like all the others. Well, at least now, we don't have to tell Harry, anything."

"You have to tell, Harry."

Hermione was silent, thinking that there wasn't really a reason to, but then again, she knew Remus was right and that Harry had to know. She really didn't look forward to getting the slack from him without Sirius, but at least it'll be out in the open.

The two of them heard a door slam and they knew it was Sirius coming in the front door. The portraits around the doorway were yelling, telling him to be a little more considerate about barging in.

"Oh, shut up, the lot of you!" Sirius bellowed at the portraits like an angry dog, from the living room.

Remus quickly stood up and left the kitchen to warn him that Hermione was there and to better prepare him. He saw a disgruntled Sirius, running a nervous hand through his hair, shaking himself of the excess water that had rained in on him as he walked in the door. Snape was close behind with a look of irritation and in appeared that the two of them had probably just finished a good argument.

Remus held his hands up to the two men, stopping them from any further discussions of where they had been, "Shh, Hermione is here."

"She is? Why?" Sirius asked, looking behind Remus towards the kitchen door, as if she was doing something she shouldn't.

Snape drawled a deep chuckle, "She couldn't stand the likes of you any longer, eh Black?"

"Get fucked, Snape!" Sirius barked, glaring at Snape through deeply confrontational eyes.

"That's enough." Remus whispered, trying to calm the situation. "Sirius, I don't think it's best for you to talk to her right now. She's a little distraught over this whole situation."

"She thinks she's the only one that's suffering? I've been trying to sort my own head out, before I even talk to her. She's come here to stay for a bit, I take it? No more parents?" Sirius rushed to spit out, his frustrations over the entire situation finally spilling out and he was afraid that he was nearing his wit's end with this mission.

"No, she's just convinced that the two of you aren't going to make it. But, don't you dare go in there and try to sort her out, now. She's not in the right state and you are most definitely not in the right mind." Remus interrupted, putting a hand to Sirius's chest to stop him from forcing his way past him and into the kitchen.

The room around Sirius felt thick and foggy, like someone had just decided to let some of the oxygen out and he was struggling to breathe. The only thing he could think of was that this might have been what it felt like to have a mental breakdown. Too many people messing with his mind and one was sure to just crack.

He knew Remus was right, he wasn't thinking as himself. He was a walking zombie version of himself and right now, that person wanted to talk to Hermione. Sirius pushed himself past his friend and made a beeline for the kitchen. Remus called after him, trying to stop his friend from making a mistake, with Snape close behind him to not miss the show that was about to unfold.

"Don't tell her, Sirius!" Remus cried out, regarding both the mission and his true feelings. This was not the time for either.

Hermione had overhead a little commotion coming from the living room, but couldn't make out what was being said. She quietly sipped her tea, she being her only company, when the kitchen door swung up with such force, it could have been torn off.

"Hermione, you can go back home. You don't have to stay here." Sirius said sternly. He wasn't yelling, but his voice was serious.

Surprised with his outburst, though not entirely surprised, she stood up from her chair as Remus and Snape filed in. Remus to act as a mediator if necessary, and Snape to watch the downfall of a once happy Sirius.

"I'm not going back home, Sirius and don't tell me what to do. I don't really want to go anywhere near that flat, unless I have to." She defended, looking at Sirius as if he had just offended her beyond words.

"Why?"

"Because, I don't like it there. I don't like how you are when you come home, I don't feel safe and I don't know what's happening to us!"

"Nothing is happening to us." He replied, half-assed.

"Nothing? Are you bloody blind? Where have you been these last few nights? Why do you come home drunk and late? Why don't you come to bed?"

"Because, you don't want me to come to bed drunk, Hermione! Your words!" he was quick to raise his voice, as if it was never his fault.

Remus wanted to so badly to just take Hermione out of this equation while Sirius was like this, because as he watched the two have their fight, he no longer recognized his friend. He at least was able to make most of him out, right after Azkaban, but now, as he watched his longest friend yell at the woman he was involved with, as if she were below him, he found himself afraid for this person.

"Hermione, why don't you just leave the room and walk away. Don't bother with this right now, this late." Remus suggested, hoping that one of the two stubborn souls would realize they weren't going to win.

"No, Remus! I'm not leaving. I want to find out where he's been." Hermione began, pointing at Sirius as if he were accused of the worst.

"No, it's just best if you walk away now, Hermione." Sirius realized, trying to win the argument over himself and her.

"I won't walk away! Where the hell have you been all these nights, Sirius? Why won't you tell me?" she begged, her voice cracking, searching for the strength to continue with him. She had to find something out.

"It's none of your business!" he shouted at her. Sirius was changing emotions like Jekyll and Hyde and it was beyond his control.

"I have every right to know. Unless…" her voice fell, as if a little light just went on in her head. "Unless…unless, you're cheating on me." Her quiet little voice found its way out.

Sirius ran his hands through his hair, frustrated to continue, and started to shake his head, "I wish it were that easy. No, I am not with anyone else!"

Hermione started to nod her head, as if discovering the real truth, "You are. I don't believe it."

"NO! For Merlin's sake, I'm not! Listen to me!" he yelled at her, finally lifting his head and walking towards her, his arms outstretched.

Hermione staggered back, afraid for herself and whatever he was capable of doing, regardless of who was in the room, "Don't touch me! Get away from me." Convincing herself, Hermione found the strength to walk further away from him, turn and leave him.

Watching her leave his sight was the last thing that Sirius couldn't handle. As she left the kitchen, Sirius felt the blood rush to his head, the room started to spin and he clutched onto the ends of the table to remain standing. His head fell and he could feel his insides tearing apart. This was too hard. Remus went to console his friend as Snape watched on.

The next night was an Order meeting and after the fight between Sirius and Hermione, the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Both parties sat on opposite sides of the table, not looking for anything that was said. They were like strangers to each other and neither one really felt like talking. It wasn't until they got to the last bit of business, that Arthur took the table.

"I've got some news from the Ministry that involves Sirius and Hermione." Arthur announced in a somber note. He was aware of the hostility between the couple and knew that anything said for, or on their behalf, wasn't necessarily going to be taken well in public.

Both Sirius and Hermione looked at Arthur, baffled with what more could be about them. Hermione glanced over at Sirius just to check his expression, but it was cold. He never looked at her, didn't notice her, he just looked up at Arthur with indifferent interest, only because his name was said.

"I think, it might be wise if I told these two in private. With the exception of Molly and Remus, I believe that everyone else should be excused." Arthur recommended, looking down and holding the rolled parchment in his hands, fidgeting nervously.

The rest of the Order meeting looked around in silence and quietly filed out of the room, with Harry looking back at the two very important people in his life, like someone was going to die. With a final glance at Hermione, whose eyes had fallen back to the center of the table, he closed the door behind him.

As requested, only Remus and Molly remained in the room with Sirius and Hermione. Sirius tried to play it off like it was nothing, and leaned back on the two legs of his chair arrogantly. Hermione, however, looked up at Arthur, concerned for her well-being.

"What is it, Mr. Weasley?" Hermione asked softly, her voice a bit unsteady.

Arthur glanced over at his wife and then back at Remus, who were just as interested. With a mental nod, he prepared the two extras for an emotional blow that he wasn't sure how it was going to be taken.

"Come on, Arthur. What do those wanks demand of us, now?" Sirius asked, looking up at the ceiling unimpressed and rather bored.

Arthur cleared his throat and announced, "Quite the opposite, Sirius. It appears that they've lifted the Marriage Law."

Hermione's mouth fell open, utterly stunned. This news was not something she was expecting, or ready for. She just sat there in silent shock, her eyes slowly falling back down to the table, finding that her breath was very very thin.

"What?" Sirius checked, "You're shittin me! How?"

"It just came out today." Arthur repeated, handing Sirius the parchment, and feeling like he was, in some way, delivering bad news.

"I'll be damned. I guess we are actually making some headway up there, aren't we?" Sirius sang, as if this was the greatest news he'd heard from the Ministry. He was extremely impressed.

Hermione just stared at the table, studying all the cracks and crevices that it held, taking in each detail. Molly went to sit next to Hermione, putting a loving arm around her, worried about how she was going to take this news. No one in the room knew how it was going to be taken, because everyone in the room knew that the two were actually together. As their relationship progressed, they never thought about the "what if's" when the law lifted, they just never brought it up. So right now, it was hanging there in the open, waiting to be decided.

"So, that means that your marriage can be annulled." Arthur reminded, offering the last of the surprise and glancing at each of them with sympathy.

Hermione didn't say anything, she just felt like the bottom had just fallen out from under her, leaving her feeling extremely bare and alone all of a sudden.

Sirius reread the letter from the Ministry passing the Pureblood/Muggleborn Law was no longer in effect and they now had the freedom to choose what they wanted to do.

Taking a deep breath and tossing the letter back on the table, he leaned back on the two legs of his chair, "Well, where do we sign, Arthur?" he said, looking straight at Hermione.

Hermione lifted her eyes to his cold ones, looking for anything but that, to be said. She hadn't considered anything at this point, but for him to just write her off like that was stabbing her in the heart and twisting the hilt for extra measure. Even Molly looked at him with a sudden surprise with the way he had said it.

"Don't look at me like that. You've wanted this since day one." He added with a smug sneer on his face as if the very picture of her disgusted him.

She slowly shook her head, holding back the building emotions that she felt were going to erupt any minute from her. "No, I haven't."

"Bullshit." Sirius added, calling her bluff. He was not the person everyone knew and certainly not the same person Hermione had fallen in love with.

"Sirius Black!" Molly snapped, rubbing Hermione's back with gentle care.

"Butt out, Molly. This is between the two of us." Sirius baited, hoping Hermione would snap back.

"How can you be so cold, Sirius? How can you just write me off like nothing mattered?" she asked quietly, still stunned.

"It did, but you don't seem to want anything to do with me. If you remember, last night you told me stay away from you and I'm just doing what you wished." He replied in a cool dry tone, with no emotion.

Remus watched the scene unfold before him, not believing that they were tearing apart so easily, so quickly, but he couldn't interrupt. It was between the two of them to decide and it appeared that Sirius, no matter what state of mind, had made it up.

Sirius Black and Hermione Granger were getting an annulment.

Sirius let the two legs of his chair slam back onto the floor and stood up from the table. He glanced one more time at the brunette girl and left the kitchen without looking back. The room remained silent and quiet and just when she couldn't hold it together any longer, Hermione let tears stream down her face without a sound, staring at the discarded parchment announcing the lift of the law.

Sirius pushed out the kitchen doors when everyone turned towards the door with an eager look on their face, as they were interested in the news that was so private. He focused all his attentions on the front door, just wanting to escape and get out of that house. He felt like the walls were closing in on him and he needed a drink.

Harry stepped in front of him and reached out to grab his arm, "Sirius, what was the news?"

"We're getting an annulment." Sirius growled, his intent was still on leaving and looked nowhere else.

"That's great! But, where are you going?" Harry asked, releasing his godfather as he pulled away.

He opened the front door without looking back and finished, "I'm going to celebrate."


	22. A Turn for the Worst

_A note from Serade Black: I'm so glad that you guys are enjoying this story. I've received the most comments from this last chapter, and it's probably because I left you with a horrible cliff hanger. Well, those aren't over yet! I've still got a couple up my sleeve as we're still about 4 chapters from being finished. _

_Be sure to check out the NEW "Necessary By The Order" fanfiction trailer I put together, as well as the music video I did for the pairing. Both can be found on the LiveJournal link, listed in my bio._

_This chapter is rated PG13/M and is the same cut on the livejournal link._

Chapter 22

The kitchen in Grimmauld Place never seemed so cold. All those warm feelings of welcome and togetherness seemed to escape in a matter of seconds, turning it into a dank and dark dungeon atmosphere. The three remaining people in the kitchen heard Sirius slam the front door, announcing his departure..

Hermione sat silent and as the entire situation started to overwhelm her, she felt her stomach churn with the very idea. She had given her heart to someone, only to have it thrown back at her, ripped up into tiny little pieces. Her mother was wrong.

"I think I'm going to be sick!" Hermione called out, feeling the wave of nausea wash over her with the break-up.

With a fierce urgency, Hermione flew out the kitchen door, through the people standing around, and up the stairs to the most private loo. She slammed the door behind her as fast as she could, fell to her knees before the toilet and retched the light dinner she ate only a half hour before the meeting. Her hands clutched the cold porcelain as waves of emotions finally began to purge themselves from her. The tears came, the hiccups started, the loneliness set in and finally, the absolute fear that she could be taken by anyone was a reality. She was no longer protected, no longer under the Black magic that was the strongest known, and worst of all, she was no longer loved.

For an instant, she thought that she and Sirius were happy. They pretended to be, sharing long kisses together, cuddling, sleeping in on Sunday mornings, sharing books, riding his motorcycle, holding hands and so many more things that made them _Sirius and Hermione_. A pair that was the least likely to happen and now she knew why.

It wasn't meant to be.

As her sobs became second nature, she heard a light tapping on the door. She swallowed the little bit of pride she had left, flushed the toilet and got up to splash some water over her face. Hearing her name called, Hermione unlatched the door and opened it to Harry and Ron standing there, with a saddened look on their face.

For a moment, she wanted to tell Harry everything, wondering if he still didn't know. If he didn't, now was not the time. They both opened their arms to give her a hug and she warmly went to them, wrapping an arm around both of them and feeling the love from her two most valued friends.

The evening with the trio was a quiet one and as they settled into one of the guest rooms together, the three of them lay in the king sized bed like they were fourteen again. There wasn't a feeling of awkwardness, there never was, just three best friends together, two of which were consoling the sad third.

Harry watched as Hermione finally settled down and drifted away into a content sleeping state. Her hair sprayed over the pillows and each hand was held by one of her friends.

Still completely clothed, the trio had fallen asleep together. The candles in the room had long extinguished and from Harry not letting on, it was concluded that he still didn't know the past history of his godfather and best friend. He was just told that Sirius had said some unkind things to her, and it was taken in the wrong context at the wrong time. Hermione still couldn't tell Harry, not now, not when it was so fresh and new that it was determined she was going to be splitting up with Sirius.

"Last round for you, Sirius." Madam Rosmerta stated, pouring him the rest of the clear liquid from the fire whisky bottle. "Then, you go home."

Sirius laid his forehead against his wrist, deeply clouded by the mix of magic, sorrow and alcohol. He had decided to do what he used to do when the shit hit the fan, he drank. His old friend welcoming him, just like old times.

"Your wife is going to be worried, Sirius. You're here far too much. You all right?" she asked, leaning against the bar to be closer to him, incase he wanted to confide in her.

"No, I'm not bloody all right! Things just got fucked, Rosmerta." he looked up with heavy eyes with black circles and dirty hair.

"You didn't screw up, did you, Sirius? Tell me you didn't cheat on that little girl." she inquired, obviously on Hermione's side.

Over the years, she'd watched that goody-two shoes girl come into her bar with her friends, never once believing that Sirius Black would turn her head. When she'd first heard the news in the Daily Prophet that the two were an item, she was sure that someone like him would definitely corrupt her. She was just too sweet to marry Sirius.

"No, not yet, anyway." Sirius slurred, the corner of his mouth beginning to grin slightly as if he had something devious up his sleeve.

Rosmerta sneered at him and slammed both her hands hard against the counter, waking him up from his head fuck. "Then don't now, Sirius. If she's willing to take you back, I suggest you get out of this funk you put yourself in, and start making it up to her. You can be replaced, Sirius. She's a good girl."

Sirius jumped, startled by Rosmerta's noise and shook his head slightly to better focus on the attractive older witch that had bosoms like melons hugged in her bodice. She was something to look at, but never something to mess with.

Finishing up the last drop, Sirius slammed the empty glass down and let his head fall into his open palms. He ran his rough hands over his face, breathing in heavily to hold back his confused emotions. The perfect life he had created for himself had shattered right before him, and with no bright light in sight, he knew he had lost it forever.

Out from a shadowed corner of the bar, a pretty blonde witch made her move. She'd watched Sirius for most of the night, recognizing him and remembering him and his wife in there before the quidditch match. She was "told off" by Hermione in the bathroom, as the young girl flaunted her wedding ring before them. Now, the blonde witch saw that he was deeply affected by something and slowly made her move in his general direction.

Moving up against the bar, she watched as Madam Rosmerta talked with other customers, distracting her. The pretty blonde witch slinked closer towards him as he continued to rub his face in his hands, trying to sober up.

"Hi there, handsome. You look extremely lonely, tonight." she cooed, turning her body to face him and lean against the bar.

Sirius thought he heard a voice and hesitated to look over. When he did, his natural reaction was to let his eyes travel from head to toe, surveying her body. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, slender, hearty bosoms and a look on her face that seemed to only have one thing in mind. For a split second, Sirius slowly grinned as he peeked from behind hidden hands.

Then, as if a little voice in the back of his head was telling him what to do, he allowed his face to fall back into his hands to sober up. The pretty blonde moved closer, carefully snaking an arm around his back to bring herself in next to him.

"What's your name, handsome?" she baited, knowing perfectly well who he was.

Not really wanting to get himself into trouble, he was conflicted and mumbled his name from behind his hands. He sighed heavily, thinking about what he was about to do. There was no question about what this witch wanted, nor did it matter to him what he did. He was a free man.

Madam Rosmerta looked over her shoulder at Sirius and saw that the loose witch had become quite friendly with him. She saw the way the blonde had her arm around him, leaning in and whispering into his ear; Rosmerta just shook her head.

She excused herself from the customers she was serving and went out from behind her bar. She patted a few men's shoulders as they commented on her passing by, used to the catcalls from the other wizards. She'd known it her entire life and she'd been propositioned by the best of him.

As her boots scraped across the wooden tavern floor, she was out to rescue one of the most notorious flirts she'd ever been propositioned by, from making a huge mistake. Already, Sirius was beginning to glance back at the blonde witch and say a few things to her. His body language was beginning to loosen up towards his new attention, and wondered if she had a place they could go to.

Rosmerta came closer, tapping the pretty young witch on the shoulder and sweetly smiled at both she and Sirius. Sirius, on the other hand, left his attention from the blonde witch and returned to his empty glass as if he was just about to be scolded by his mother. Rosmerta whisked the young witch away from Sirius and leaned in close to her.

"Sweetheart, I don't mind you in my pub. I do, however mind you trying to shamelessly throw yourself at one such as Sirius. Let it be known that he's not in good shape right now; he's married and loves his wife very much. If I so much as see you even looking in his general direction when he's in here, I'll make sure to send you off with a Dementor." Rosmerta sweetly tilted her head and added, "Now, run off for the night. You're done."

The blonde witch paled and quickly grabbed her cloak and left the pub, not looking back. Meanwhile, Rosmerta stepped heavily up behind Sirius, letting her boots scrape the wooden floor, glaring at him like a shameful puppy.

"Now you, Black, go home. Your wife is waiting on you." Rosmerta commanded, taking his glass away and sliding it down the bar to the levitating cleaning rag that immediately nabbed it to clean.

Sirius let his shoulders slump forward and turned to leave the pub, apparating away in its doorway.

Back at Grimmauld, the portraits were bickering about from painting to painting as the door was shut quietly and Sirius coming in had startled them all from their deep sleeps. Ignoring the past family members, Sirius made his way up the stairs staggering. His senses were filled with gin, his body felt beaten and abused and his heart felt empty. When he had made his way to his old bedroom, a familiar scent caught his attention and he followed it down the hallway to one of the guestrooms. He saw the last door slightly ajar and with a shaking hand, carefully pushed it open to reveal the picture.

Harry, Hermione and Ron were passed out sleeping in the oversized bed together; all three of them on top of the comforter, like they had been up talking and consoling their friend. It woke him up for a second to realize that she wasn't going to be alone. She had people all around her that really cared for her and it wasn't going to be long before Hermione had found herself someone else to take his place.

His godson had his arm snaked over Hermione's waist in a gentle manner, while Ron rested on the pillow next to her, his mouth wide open, snoring, and his stray hand holding hers for support. They were an innocent sight to see, and Sirius tried to remember the last time he had friends that cared for him as much as Harry and Ron cared for her. Remus was the last of that bunch and the idea of him and Remus napping together holding hands repulsed him.

Quietly, Sirius closed the door the way it was and continued back down the stairs. He went out the front door and apparated back to their flat, so Hermione wouldn't have to worry about seeing him in the morning.

Hermione tried her best to put on a straight face at work. Both Tonks and Kingsley knew what was going on at home and they were careful not to bring it up. The end of her crying had finally embraced her and the strong Hermione was beginning to come back out, again. She was embarrassed at herself for letting her fall so hard for someone, least of all people, Sirius Black. His name wasn't exactly "mud" right now, but he wasn't in many good graces. Only the Order knew of the decision and for the sake of making it believable, they had decided to wait at least one more month before filing the paperwork. That left three more weeks, and then it could be done, and Hermione would be free.

Sirius was already packing some of his things out of the flat, as he was giving everything to Hermione. He didn't want any furniture, just his clothes. They were careful not to see each other, making sure they wouldn't upset the other. In time, they would be all right, but for now they needed to just "cool off" and move on. It was both of their faults to get involved and now they had to be mature about everything, seeing the mission as nothing but that – a mission.

On one particular night, Hermione had come upon a note that was scribbled in Sirius's handwriting. It wasn't addressed to her, but left behind on the kitchen table at their flat. She managed to make out a little of the writing, reading a meeting place and an approximate time. Could this have been the "new" one that Hermione had her suspicions about?

As Hermione studied the note over and over again, she managed to make out the specific area where said meeting was taking place and the blood immediately rushed from her body. Her hands holding the note were beginning to shake, fearing the absolute worst in this discovery. She felt her heart beginning to pick up its tempo and her breath beginning to exit her lungs faster than she could almost handle.

There, in the small note, scribbled in his hand read:

_Knockturn Alley._

What was this for? Why was he making a notation to go there? Something wasn't right; she had to tell Harry and Ron.

She immediately apparated to the secret spot outside Grimmauld Place and cautiously entered the dark house, in case Sirius was inside. She didn't notice his motorcycle parked outside, so it was her conclusion that he had already left for the evening. She scribbled a note to Ron, telling him to come to headquarters and then dashed all over the house to find Harry, who was upstairs cleaning his broom.

"What do you supposed this means?" Harry slowly asked, rereading the note in his godfather's script. He kept turning it over, thinking there was something more to it, but apparently the Knockturn Alley was enough to send a red flag to Hermione.

"Don't you get it? You can't see it?" Hermione blurted out, as if it was as plain as the nose on her face. "This makes sense. Everything that Tonks has said at work makes sense! It fits."

"He's going to Knockturn Alley, so what? It's the dark wizards shopping area, but you don't think…"

"Yes! He's leaving the Order, Harry! The way he's been, the way he's never home, he's leaving this side! It makes so much sense now. He's switching sides." She started to panic, as if having him there to read it again, helped her think things out.

"Hermione, you're mad. He wouldn't trade sides, he hates his family, there's no way-"

"Prove me wrong, Harry! I'm going to Knockturn Alley!" she huffed, running out of his room and bumping into Ron.

"Hermione, what's so urgent that you made me-" Ron asked, bumping off of her like a wall.

"Ask Harry, because I guess I'm doing it alone!"

Harry just sat on his bed, holding the note that Hermione had discovered. He looked at Ron, who just stood there clueless, and added, "She's going mental."

As Harry got up and passed his friend through the doorway, Ron just stood there and looked after him saying, "I've been saying that for years!"

Sirius and Snape had just apparated outside the Leaky Cauldron where they always had. The two men occupied a table in one of the dark corners, as Sirius allowed himself to be put into a trance-like state by Snape. Sirius finished the last of his drink and carefully set the glass down before him. Like swallowing his own death, each night he allowed himself to be mentally raped by Snape.

As Snape watched Sirius bow his head, preparing himself for his mental surrender into the dark Underworld that was Voldemort's, he whispered his incantation and repeated the mission to his subconscious, "Lord Voldemort has requested you, not because of your celebrity status, but of your intimacy with Hermione Granger and Harry Potter. Both individuals hold a strong standard of magic, and Granger is what the Dark Lord needs. He needs her assistance, he wishes to take over her mind and have her act as a Medium through his power. Harry Potter is the target, and needs the boy to be sacrificed. The Dark Lord will advise you how to work it in to retrieve Potter. As Sirius Black, you listen to me, you wait for my voice and you build a wall to the outside. Do not feel, Black. Do not allow your emotions to invade your thoughts. Concentrate on keeping it all out."

Snape's voice was quiet and directed only into Sirius's ear. As he spoke his words slower and slower, he watched Sirius begin to droop lower and lower, and watched his hands ball into fists as the magic began to take over and just like all the other nights, Sirius allowed himself to be taken. Like a spirit channeling through a body, Sirius's body rose and his eyes were completely dilated as he looked off into space.

"Can you hear my voice, Black?" Snape said, waiting for his subject to respond.

Now, this was in no way the Imperious curse that normal wizards knew. This was another spell, devised by Snape, to masquerade as a curse. Sirius's mind was at Snape's control for the most part, but was still able to see and hear what was going on around him. That's why, at the end of the night when Snape reversed the spell, Sirius was still a little "out of his mind", not to mention the physical strain it had on him to battle two individuals trying to dominate his mind.

Sirius stood from the table after Snape and staggered a bit after him, until he got his footing, once again. It was like carrying a heavy animal around your shoulders, that the pressure pushed down on him and sometimes prohibited him from walking.

Out the door of the Leaky Cauldron and through the outskirts of Diagon Alley, the two moved on. Snape turned a corner to take a shadowed, hidden passageway that was not blocked, but appeared otherwise cold and neglected.

The two men, one walking without a care for life and the other walked with such pride and prestige, it was obvious which one of these two were in charge. Snape walked the long alleyway with flair of arrogance and accomplishment as he looked over at the weak, tired, notorious Sirius Black; a man that tormented him in his youthful years, only now to be at the mercy of his own wand. How the tables have turned, only now it was for the matter of good. Although, the idea of controlling Sirius did have its advantages, especially when it came to a good shoe polishing in the company of his own two female cousins, Narcissa and Bellatrix.

The long, dripping hallway that they walked nearly every night came to an end, when they came upon three hooded figures standing under the pale moonlight, outside an empty storefront in the desolate Knockturn Alley.

One of the three turned her body to see the two men coming closer; you could just barely make out the platinum blonde hair hiding under the heavy cloak. Narcissa pulled down her hood, identifying herself to the two men, allowing a small grin creep across her demonic, yet angelic, face.

"Severus, you're late." She noted, looking over at her cousin. "Sirius, you look a wreck. You really must get some more sleep. You're making the Black's look worse than you already have."

Sirius's eyes lifted to his family, Narcissa, Draco and Bellatrix and nodded to them out of respect, "I agree, cousin. I've got a lot to do, before I can cleanse the name, once again." He hoarsely answered.

Draco nodded his head to Sirius, knowing him to be family, but still not worthy to be one of them, yet. Their meetings were becoming more and more frequent, and it was good to see they were turning him, but still something wasn't right about his mother's cousin. Though he shared their blood, tainting it by running alongside the Potters and marrying a muggleborn, Draco saw him with potential.

He extended his hand out to his second cousin and grinned, "Nice to see you again, Sirius."

"Snape, you could have bathed him before he sees the Dark Lord. What an insult to our blood that he is presented in such a vagabond manner." Bellatrix slighted, looking at the disheveled appearance of her own cousin.

With a slight flick of her elegant wrist, she changed his attire of blue jeans, t-shirt and leather jacket to black slacks, black buttoned shirt, tucked in along a black leather belt with the Black family crest on his belt buckle. His hair was combed back neatly, tied into a small pony tail at the nape of his neck, with a few short wisps framing his handsome face.

It already appeared that Sirius was more awake than before and he looked at his cousin, grinning slyly. She was beautiful; he had to admit, considering she was family. He remembered fondly of how they used to play together with his brother Regulus, as teenagers. Though she was already on the darker path, Sirius was never tempted to go her way. Her bewitching ways lured so many men to their destiny, and to their death, before she joined up with Voldemort and the other Death Eaters.

"You don't look half bad yourself," Bellatrix replied, having read his facial expressions that he was, indeed, looking her over as her Death Eater robes were originally cut to accent her more feminine curves. "It really is a pity that you didn't wise up, sooner."

"You forget, Bella, he still hasn't wised up. He's all Severus's doing." Narcissa was quick to purr, admiring the better threads her sister had dressed Sirius up in.

"I don't see why we don't slap a dark mark on him, and get it over with." Draco insisted, throwing his concern at his mother.

"Because Draco, Potter would never trust him." Snape groaned, as if bored with making excuses.

"I don't know," Sirius began, grinning to Draco, "I've been known to be rather convincing."

"Frankly, I don't believe that anyone under the Imperious Curse should wear the dark mark, unless Sirius has a death wish. He's sure to screw it up and then, Bella might have to kill him, again." Narcissa remarked.

"Cissy, you of all people should know me." Sirius began, his eyes dark and a grin poised on his lip, "I'm not afraid of death. It's just another adventure."

Narcissa just looked into her cousin's black eyes with caution. She'd known Sirius was put under the curse by Snape for nearly a month and half, now, but something still didn't settle with her that he would stay on their side. He had already agreed to conspire with them about Harry, using himself as bait to convince him to come out. Sirius had no problem with that. But, it was Narcissa who dragged her feet, believing that somewhere deep down that old Gryffindor was going to come back to them.

On the other hand, she secretly admitted to herself that it was good to have him close, again. Ever since Regulus's disappearance, she felt incomplete without them and now that Sirius was slowly turning, she felt solace in being around a Black man, once again.

Narcissa nodded for her cousin and extended her gloved hand to him. Sirius graciously took her hand and raised it to his lips to lay a soft kiss on the back of it. Chivalrous to the end, he was playing the part he had always been known for.

"Merlin's Beard," Draco slowly spoke, looking off past the small party. Draco's eyes focused on the slender frame of the witch that walked defiantly down the dark alleyway, her want outstretched.

Fearing nothing, feeling lost and betrayed, Hermione had found her feet carrying her to Knockturn Alley to cure her suspicions. She was doing it for the good of the Order, her mission as an Auror and for the good of her own satisfaction. She felt empowered as the will to perform the most unforgivable curses began to overcome her body, and realize now why people had performed them out of anger.

"I trusted you!" Hermione screamed, coming into the pale moonlight, cascading between the buildings.

Snape immediately turned around to see her stop about thirty feet from them, wand drawn and her empty fist balled and shaking. Her entire body was shivering from the discovery, understanding why Snape was there, but to find Sirius corralling with his cousins was a sight she never wanted to experience. He stood there proudly next to the evil witch who had sent him to his doom once before, believing that all her efforts to rescue from the Veil were wasted.

Bellatrix cackled loudly, clapping her hands as if the encore of an excellent comedy troupe were returning for another show. "This is brilliant, Sirius. Your wife has come down to see you off!"

Sirius grinned ear to ear and slowly turned around to face her. His eyes were dark on her, feeling the darker character taking him over. Just a glimmer of the old Sirius peeked out, and that was the part that admitted she looked dangerously sexy as she held her wand aimed at his throat.

"I trusted you, Sirius! I can't believe you'd do this to us!" she yelled, knowing how irresponsible she was being by letting her emotions run away with her. But it was all she could do. Her muscles had ceased to move, ever since she realized her love was on the wrong side. She wanted so badly to throw hexes and curses that would send her to Azkaban, but there was no point being anything like his family.

Sirius tilted his head in a cool manner and opened his arms to her, "You found me, love. It's a much better change."

Snape watched Sirius's every move cautiously, carefully studying his words and his mannerisms, trying to whisper a small incantation telepathically.

Hermione just stared at Sirius, dumbfounded and numb that she didn't hear someone running up behind her. They had their wand extended and slammed their feet onto the pavement with a fierce run, to back her up.

Ron shouted breathlessly, "Hermione, no! Get out, now!"

Hermione fought his arms away, as they started to encompass her body for protection. He was trying to hold her tight, in order to apparate them from this dark scene that was sure to start another war, like at the Ministry four years earlier.

"You bastard, how could you?" She screamed, tears streaming down her face as her friend held her back, demanding answers before her heart exploded in her chest over the biggest betrayal. All the secrets of the Order were to be exposed and he was going to be their downfall.

Ron watched carefully as Snape watched Sirius and the three in the back smiled eagerly at the confrontation. Bellatrix was already gripping her wand, ready to strike them down, but the show happening before her was too enthralling to stop it, as chaos was unfolding before them.

"I got tired of fucking you, I guess. Found a new direction, darling. I'll be back for Harry, soon enough." he charmed, giving her that last faithful wink.

She screamed for him, called him colored names and finally ended with the final recourse, "You lied to me! You lied to us all, Sirius! How could you do this to Lily and James? What about Remus?"

"Nothing to me." he slowly drawled.

With a final blow, Hermione broke free of Ron's grasp and ran at Sirius, pushing him hatefully with all her might. He caught her fists in mid air, squeezing her hands, nearly crushing them in his own palms as he let the hatred from the magic flow through him. With a half-assed shove, she was out of his hands and falling back into Ron. He finished her with a chuckling sneer.

"You made them believe you! You made me believe you." she cried out, letting Ron pull her back, forcing herself to stand strong. "You made me love you!"

Sirius froze.

His grin was still solid, his hatred was beginning to slow down and for a fraction of a second, he faltered.

Hermione saw him glare at her with those cold empty eyes. The soul of a person she didn't even know anymore looking back at her like she was the filth of the earth and wanted nothing to do with her. How could he do this to them? To Harry? To her? He was a fake. Sirius Black was nothing but a fake, an imposter and a coward. He had fooled them all and she was not going to let this take them down.

Snape repeated his incantation faster, so that Sirius would register what he was transpiring.

"Enough! She's mine!" Bellatrix cackled and pushed her nephew out of the way as he lingered a few feet behind Sirius, just in case he wasn't prepared to take the mudblood.

"Let's go now, Hermione!" Ron shouted and threw himself around her, and apparated them out of the confrontation.

Bellatrix cackled louder with laughter, stopping and taking a quick left turn, "Stupid ginger! You can't apparate out, only in! Now we play the wicked game of cat and mouse! Draco, go that way." She instructed, pointing her lacey gloved hand into the opposite direction.

Narcissa looked back at Snape and then went off after her son, protecting him, even in smaller battles.

Sirius covered his mouth and started to chuckle to himself, amused by Hermione's pathetic display and saddened by her declaration. It wasn't what he wanted to hear, let alone care much to have heard it. Without expecting it, Sirius felt the scruff of his neck being pulled and with a dynamic force; Snape threw him hard up against a wall.

"You son-of-a-bitch!" Sirius barked, gasping for air, but Snape held his wand to Sirius's throat.

"Don't make a sound, Black! I'm doing this to fucking help you. Break my wand!"

Sirius's dark hooded eyes glared at him as if he was mental and not the same person, "What are you going on about?"

Snape finished whispering the incantation and prematurely reversed the spell, so that Sirius would "wake up". He saw his body beginning to sag as the same effects of him going into the spell started to drive him. As he came to, Snape still held him by the neck as he remembered all what had just transpired.

"Now, break my fucking wand, Black! If I break it myself, they'll know I'm behind it!" Snape yelled at him eagerly with a stage whisper.

Sirius shook his head, trying to make his mind stop spinning at the same time and rationalize what it was Snape was doing.

"Look, you idiot, my job is to protect Order members as well. Now, your cousins just took off after Granger-"

"Hermione! She's here! My god, we need to get her out!"

"Shut up, Black! I'm doing that! You need to break my wand, so they see the magic was broken by you and most of the magic that is otherwise fucking with your mind will lift. Now, Bella will kill Hermione, without thinking. YOU need to get her out of here, if you want her to live!" Snape commanded, loosening his grip on Sirius so that he might actually do what he was told.

Sirius felt the truth hitting him. Hermione was out there, at the hands of his homicidal cousin and she had admitted herself that she, indeed, loved him. He grabbed Snape's wand from his hands and snapped it hard in two, dropping it at his feet and set off to find Hermione.


	23. The Reality of Danger

A Note From Serade Black: Well, here's the next installment. I hope you enjoy it. I'm still at least 2 chapters from the end, and I promise Ch. 24 won't be far behind, as it was just the second part of this one, I divided into two.

It's not my strongest chapter, but that's just my opinion. Thanks so much to those that have stuck by this story. I've found sheer pleasure in all the sweet death threats I've gotten!

Enjoy!

This chapter is only rated PG13 and reads the same on the live journal.

Chapter 23

In a separate side of Knockturn Alley, Hermione and Ron reappeared from the thin cool air. Looking about them wildly, Ron shook his head with his mouth agape as he tried to comprehend the reasoning for them to not be in someplace more familiar. He looked above him and saw dilapidated building tops on the verge of collapsing, while corpses of dead rats lay around their feet like forgotten meals.

Ron's breath echoed off the walls, as the damp air chilled him to the very bone. Unsure of what the next move should be, he turned to an unsteady Hermione who weakly clutched onto his arm. She was so focused on what had just happened with her self explosion, that she hadn't even looked up and around her to see what kind of trouble they were in.

She couldn't believe her own mouth had said what she wanted, and she couldn't believe that her truthful declaration might have gotten her into even deeper trouble. But, it was no use, Sirius was so far gone he never even would have remembered it. In an instant, her emotions were pecking away at her insides and trying desperately to get the best of her in her weakened state. She had given herself to someone that was way out of her league, someone that was very wrong for her and proved to her to have made the biggest mistake of her life.

"Hermione, we need to get the hell out of here! That crazy Bellatrix is after us, and it's not safe here! We have no wards!" Ron yelled, hoping that Hermione might come around and help him out. He was at a loss without her quick keen thinking.

She shook her head as she tried to let the fog lift in between empty sobs and felt that cold and alone feeling, again, even with Ron holding her hand. She looked up to the tall buildings towering around them like an unforgiving fortress, watching the shadows around them create an unsettling feeling. She forced her mind free of the emotions that were weighing her heart down and tried to start thinking straight so they could get out of there.

Not too far behind them, Hermione heard the fine quick steps belonging to foes that were after them and managed to duck just in time to evade a hex flying in their direction, taking Ron down with her. Narcissa and Draco were close and Ron spun to take off running, dragging Hermione with him.

Streams of blue and green flew around their feet as they skipped over the flying hexes, dodging left and right, avoiding any hits. One got Ron in the foot, but only the tips of his shoelaces had been singed, leaving the rest of his flesh intact. The two shouted at each other, unsure of which direction to go in, but Hermione made the rash decision to split once they came upon another alleyway, knowing that Narcissa wouldn't break from her son and using it to their advantage.

As if Draco had a personal vendetta, his eyes narrowed as he saw Hermione duck into the other passageway, but continued on after Ron. Narcissa groaned over the split, but followed Draco, just as they predicted. As she was making the mental decision to let her own son go, she heard her sister cackling from another direction and knew that Hermione was not going to be left alone.

With flowing layers of black gauze, pale veined arms reached towards Hermione's direction as if she could touch her, but still greatly out of arms reach. Bellatrix played the hunt like a game, smiling like a fierce predator targeting her prey and finding colorful words in her vocabulary to call Hermione that were much worse than "mudblood". Hermione's only focus was to find her way out of this labyrinth and, hopefully, into a safe haven where Bellatrix would be apprehended. However, defeat soon settled in as the narrow passage way got darker and darker and she had the sinking feeling that she was going in the wrong direction.

With the screeches of a banshee, Bellatrix threw her arm back with a powerful dramatic display and released a hex ahead of her. She managed a hit on Hermione and sent her flying over her own two feet. With an abrupt thud, Hermione fell uncomfortably on her rear; almost sure she'd bruised her tailbone.

Like a cartoon character on ice, Hermione scurried with every limb in fast forward, desperately trying to raise herself from the wet coarse cobblestone. She saw the flaps of the billowing dress her attacker wore, coming closer and closer looking like a dementor, if it wasn't for her pale arms holding out her wand. Bellatrix's raven black hair with the lightning white streaks throughout shone like a beacon in the midnight light, that she set a haunting drift ahead of her that even the corpses stepped out of her way..

"I'll make you pay, mudblood! How dare you taint my bloodline! My cousin was an idiot to marry you, filthy little mudblood whore!" Bellatrix screamed obsessed with anger.

Her heeled boots were hard slaps against the cobblestone, evading puddles or walking on the water. Her hood fell around her shoulders, allowing her long black tendrils to fly wildly around her like an added cape. Her eyes were dilated, her voice cackled menacingly and her intent was to kill or severely hurt the young one that dared consider herself worthy to be a Black.

Upon Hermione's abrupt halt onto the unforgiving ground, she fell on her lifeline. She did what she could to control her body as she nearly flipped backwards, ass over tit, but as she saved herself, she heard her wand snap like a broken twig in her back pocket.

Bellatrix's arm swung back once again, muttering an unforgivable curse, casting it at her cousin's pathetic wife that lay on the ground like a broken rag doll.

"Hermione!"

She looked up as she heard her name, gasping with relief when she saw Sirius running at her from a hidden alleyway. He threw himself in front of the stream of light from Bellatrix's wand, saving her from whatever pain was now to be his.

She heard the illustrious Bellatrix scream, "Crucio!" with severe intensity as she watched Sirius fall into a crumpled heap before her target on the rain soaked ground.

Hermione screamed, frightfully fearful of his life and watched him writhe on the ground in agony like his body was receiving an electric shock.

"Fucking run, Hermione!" He yelled, his voice cracking between cries of mental pressure and pain. "Go now! Run!" He coughed, clutching onto his wand and trying to fight off the invisible power over him.

Hermione's insides were dying with him and despite how cruel he'd been, she couldn't find it in herself to leave him. Not in this alleyway, not on the rain soaked street, not again! The more she yelled in protest wanting to pull him away, the more he yelled at her. She saw Bellatrix nearing them, her wand fixed on her cousin, now. The repulsive cackled filled her ears again, like a sickening reminder of death, but she knew that Sirius would be gravely pissed if she stayed any longer to try and save him. Sirius slurred his words with curses for her to run like hell away from his cousin, while she still had a running chance.

"I swear to God, Hermione-" He howled and cried as his muscles contracted against his control, "I'll fucking kill you myself if she doesn't get to you first! Get the hell out of here!" he screamed, concentrating on forming words to make her leave.

Watching the darkened death of a woman approach them with joyful eyes of loathing, Hermione took another look down at her husband, her love, the man she had learned to need more than anything in her life, dying before her. Fear of Bellatrix and Sirius got the best of her, and the she knew the last thing she could do for him, was to listen to him now, of all times. The look of pain and horror on Sirius's face was more than enough for her to scurry backwards on all four arms and legs like a spider trying to run. She was finally able to get back on her feet, leaving the broken wand behind and took off running, not looking back. She heard Bellatrix's voice bouncing off the crumbling walls of the buildings around her, like she had triumphed.

Her heart was racing, her eyes watered, and as the dam holding back her tears broke apart, her emotions erupted with loss and hatred. She cursed Sirius under her breath for making her leave him; despite how horrible he'd been to her. She just didn't want Bellatrix to take him away from them, for the second time.

As her body pushed forward, trying to take her to a safe place, she felt like the walls were closing in. Her mind was playing tricks on her and it was evident that her body was physically breaking down. She couldn't run any faster, she could barely breathe from gasping for air, and her sense of awareness was weakening more and more as she replayed the events in her mind of seeing Sirius smiling and conversing with Bellatrix and Draco. It just didn't make sense, but then again, it made all the sense in the world where he'd been all those nights. But Snape? He had to know more; he always knew more.

After what felt like miles of running, she glanced back to see to see Bellatrix after her, getting ready to throw a hex at her the way she'd caught her before. Fighting herself to keep a strong will, she did her best dodge them as they ricochet off the brick walls, racking her brain for a plan to hide.

Bellatrix had left Sirius behind, after hitting him with the curse, when he told her he was trying to grab her. She hopped over the writhing body of her cousin, as if in a determined trance to get his wife completely out of this world. Sirius felt the feeling return to his finger tips, then his legs, moving on up through his groin, and finally enjoying the warm soothing feeling return to his chest. He laid there panting, breathing each breath as if he had been submerged under water and then he came to.

He lay there, listening to Bellatrix's cackling and her boots hitting the cobblestone in the distance, when he heard the footsteps getting closer. He gripped his wand and wrapped an arm around his stomach, keeping himself low as he slowly got up to move. His stomach felt like it had been punched and the overpowering feeling in his gut told him that he really needed to slow down.

The hurried footsteps got closer and Sirius hid his wand close to his body, but ready to strike. He caught more black billowing robes emerge from the shadows and he pointed his wand in that direction, against his new attacker.

Snape walked on with fierce speed and slapped his hand down like a child, "Put your arm down, you fool. Which way did they go?"

Sirius's brain had started to return to normal speed as it had been fucked over, twice that night, "They went," he doubled over in pain, "They went that way."

"What did you do, Black? Stop a curse?" Snape asked, reluctantly hoisting Sirius up, throwing an arm over his shoulder and pulling his ally up off the ground.

"Yes!" he coughed, resenting the fact that he needed any help at all. Worst of all, from Snape.

"Her wand is broken, Snape! She's defenseless." Sirius managed to get out when he found his voice again, feeling his body ready to collapse at any moment if he didn't get it out.

Snape curled his lip into a repulsed pout and turned around to prop Sirius up in a dark corner, where he could wallow in his own pain for awhile. He was in no shape to fight right now and was left to make a bold move on his own.

"Give me your wand, Black. Stay here and don't make a sound!" Snape commanded, snatching the wand from his tight fingers. He pushed Sirius more into the shadows and told him to remain quiet and still, until someone came to get him.

"Go save her, Snape, please! I need her." he moaned, feeling his own emotions coming back into view.

As Snape's wand broke, most of the cloudy magic had begun to lift and Sirius was beginning to feel the heavy repercussions of his rash decisions. He leaned against the stone wall and slowly sank down to his feet, feeling the heavy guilt of what he had done. He'd hurt Hermione, he'd lied to her and worst of all, he left her. Probably the best thing to happen to him, next to Harry, and he'd thrown it all away.

His only chance at getting back what he had so easily disposed of was that she remained open-minded and clear headed to understand the reasoning behind his mission. He never, not once, wanted to risk losing Hermione to it. But, it was just another sacrifice he promised to make in order to make right what once when wrong.

Hermione dodged left and right, trying to get out of the direct line of fire, as Bellatrix was quick on her heel, now joined by her sister and nephew. The women's robes billowed behind them, forcing the fabric to whip around them like dark flags announcing their presence. It only drove Hermione further, trying to dodge the flying streams of light, trying to find a way out of this horrific maze and get to someplace where she could act without a wand. If she'd paid attention to some of the wrestling shows that Sirius used to watch on muggle TV, perhaps now she could have surprised them all with a big of tuck and roll as she laid a hard punch against the dark witch.

"The Dark Lord will be so pleased that we have her." Draco hollered out, trying to beat his mother and aunt in the run.

Hermione's breath was caught in her throat, trying to suppress the new tears that were starting to tickle down her cheek out of fear, lack of a wand, and Sirius. _She'd just left him. _But, he had told her to. He made her leave him behind...and he just took it. He took the Crucio curse that his own cousin had thrown, caring not that it hit him by accident, or on purpose. Instead, she had the horrific visions in her head of him writhing around on the cold damp cobblestone road, as lighting pain flew through his nerves like a channeling snake, hitting each muscle, each brainwave, each emotion until his own mind would drive him insane.

_She left him to die._

What she couldn't understand was that Bellatrix was behind her and that told her either someone had taken it over, or she hadn't had it on him long enough to take any serious effects. As she forced her body beyond its limits, she prayed that he wasn't dead, or out of his mind at this point, because counting behind her, there were three individuals who wanted to either hand her over to the dark lord, or just wanted her dead.

"You will die eventually, Mudblood!" Draco shouted, laughing just like his aunt and being followed by his mother.

Hermione had long lost sight of Ron and she had no idea where he had gone. As she had no wand, she had to try and use her wit, but at this stage she was clueless. It wasn't until she saw a flash of light come from someplace next to her that she knew to stop in her tracks and duck so it wouldn't hit her.

"Potter!" Draco yelled, upon hearing a fearsome scream behind him.

Harry had come out of the shadows, following the cackling laughs, the fierce footsteps that sounded like elephants between the tall hollow buildings. He was accompanied by Ron, who had told him that Hermione was being chased by all three of them and no others. Harry quietly positioned himself to see them running at him, Hermione frantic and breathless and without a wand. He shouted a spell under his breath, and aimed it at the caboose of the trio that followed Hermione, hitting Narcissa straight in the chest and forcing her to be lifted and thrown back. Draco stopped in his run and turned on his heal for his mother.

Harry couldn't help but find the vindictiveness in him, that seeing Draco turn into a soft marshmallow for his mother, something he had been cheated from; he knew it'd be a two-for-one shot. Bellatrix, on the other hand, squealed with evil delight that Harry had joined them and used the same spell to hurl Hermione back against a building.

Hermione screamed, feeling her body being lifted and thrown at full force against a building that she hit her head and fell as a crumpled heap on the same cobblestone road. Harry felt the anger beginning to build in him, and he dodged to the left of a green stream coming in his direction, and threw another spell at Bellatrix. Ron came up behind him, winded and furious when he saw Hermione's crumpled body in an awkward position sprayed out on the cobblestone.

Without thinking, a spell he wasn't quite confident with, was thrown in the general direction of Narcissa once again, hitting Draco by accident and on purpose. The blond haired boy tripped over his own robes, thus creating a sound that could only compare to one that had fallen face first onto the hard chipped road. The two heard Draco hiss and curse under his breath, absolutely disgusted that he had been bested by a Weasley. As Draco lifted his wand arm by his mother, it was quickly knocked out of his hand, by accident.

Snape was running up from one of the darkened alleyways, his black robes billowing behind him with the sound of flags in a fierce wind and he pretended to miss his aim at Harry and hit Draco instead. Dumfounded, Draco quickly spun his head right into a "knock out" charm that rendered him unconscious next to his mother.

Bellatrix hadn't seen what was transpiring behind her, as she was focused on doing a twirl and screech that she'd finally gotten a good aim at the mudblood who had tainted her family's blood. Her next motion was to capture the Potter boy and kill his redheaded friend. However, Snape's footsteps were as quiet as the wind that she hadn't heard him behind her and he called out the same "knock-out" spell as he performed on Draco.

With such elegance, Bellatrix fell to her side, her arms outstretched to protect her head and she fell silent as her body gently hit the ground below her. The horrendous screeching that was extracted from her witch lungs had slowly fizzled down to a mute and the remaining two Order members stood with their wands aimed at their ex-potions professor.

"Lower your wands you idiots!" Snape growled, enraged with anger that he'd almost been discovered fighting for the good side. His eyes narrowed in on the two of them and he quickly glanced over at the crumpled heap that was Hermione. "Get out of here, before Narcissa rises. She's the only one I didn't hit."

"Good shot!" Ron chirped, amazed by the speed in which two were taken out in a matter of minutes.

"Shut up, Weasley and get out of here! Go back down this alley and make a sharp left turn. Knock on the wall and it'll take you out of here and back into Diagon Ally. Get her back to headquarters!" Snape rushed, keeping his voice in a stage whisper, quickly becoming more and more agitated the longer the two stood there looking dumbfounded and unsure.

"Where's...oh, my god!" They heard a raspy voice, followed by a few stumbling steps.

Sirius had emerged behind Snape, not quite sure which alleyway, but managed to stagger into clear view. His eyes focused on the fallen body that was Hermione's and immediately his heart was crushed when he saw the mangled position she had been put in. He limped over, clutching his stomach like the Hunchback of Notre Dame and managed to kick Bellatrix in the head as he passed her demonic angel body that lay on the cold ground.

As much as he wanted nothing but to kill his cousin for every horrific thing she'd done in the past since she started following the Dark Lord, his entire focus was on the small frame of the girl that lay fallen by unkind spells.

"Take her and get the hell out of here, Black! Don't grovel; just take her body and leave!" Snape hissed, pushing Sirius closer to her, skipping over a few dramatic staggers.

Sirius held in his emotions, fighting the urge to erupt into the tears that were on the brink of shattering him. The very sight of her warmed his heart and chilled it quickly after as he saw her lying so uncomfortable. Harry rushed to his godfather's side, surveying Hermione as well and went to try and lift her. Sirius stopped Harry and immediately hoisted her up in his arms with such ease; he knew he was always meant to carry her whether it was physically, mentally or emotionally. He knew that it was his fault that she was brought here, it was his fault that she had ended up hurt by his own cousin and it was his responsibility to make sure she got back to Grimmauld Place untouched where more focused wizards could tend to her.


	24. Painful Endings

_A Note from Serade Black: Sorry for all the distracting Bellatrix stuff. I believe I was trying way too hard to set the dark scene in the previous chapter. Those that know me, personally, know I adore Bella (hello, I was her at Lumos, most of the time!). So, I really do love those honest reviews about what you don't like. Because, it's what I need to know. Thank you so much for your honesty, and I knew that ch. 23 wasn't sitting well with me, for something._

_And here, is what people have been waiting for. It's been a long time, a very long time, coming and I really hope I don't disappoint. Upon the completion of this story, know that my next fanfiction project will be my started story, RETURNED. I've got that one mostly outlined and will be working on it as soon as the epilogue is finished for this one._

_As always, I'm glad that I've turned so many shippers into Sirius/Hermione shippers! Keep it up and keep a look-out for my upcoming stories._

Ch. 24 Painful Endings

Trying to remember Snape's instructions, Ron led the small pack down the dripping dark alleyway, using the tip of his wand for a light. They walked cautiously, but determined, down the narrow passage and taking a sharp left once they reached the end of it. Running to the brick wall, Ron knocked on several different places, unsure which would open the passage. Finally, after what seemed like ages, they slipped on through the exit undetected and dumped out into the vacant streets of Diagon Alley. Once safely on the other side, they apparated to the secret spot outside Grimmauld Place and rushed to the dilapidated house. Harry ran ahead, throwing himself at the front door to let the others quickly come in behind him.

All the while as he held her unconscious body in his arms, Sirius couldn't help but outline her sweet youthful face with his eyes. He quietly pleaded with her to forgive him, knowing that it was entirely his fault that he clutched onto her unresponsive body, desperately wishing that she'd stir, even if just enough to change positions in his arms. A sign, a moment, a breath, anything to let him know that she was aware that it was he holding her.

Nothing.

He swore to himself that he'd tell her everything. He'd make it up to her. He'd give her anything she wanted, if only she'd be all right. He wasn't there when whatever it was hit her, sending her flying into the wall at such speed it rendered her unconscious. He had no idea what degree of damage had been done, and if, Merlin help him, if she'd ever speak to him again.

Finally, Sirius was rushing up the stairs with Remus and McGonagall close behind him with the appropriate spell books. It appeared Snape had already alerted them of their rushing back to Grimmauld Place, that they had been prepared and ready. Sirius nudged the large guest room door with his foot, not waiting for anyone to help him. The same bedroom he saw Hermione, Ron and Harry sleeping in the night that she and Sirius had been told of the annulment. He remembered her lying there, between the two biggest supporters in her life and how he conveniently didn't fit there.

Just as he laid her on the bed, the wizards and McGonagall took to her side to try and wake her. They took all her normal vitals, quickly brewed up a potion to mend her obvious broken arm and started the chantings of what could only be something to heal her.

As the room came together, it seemed to feel more and more crowded. Sirius slowly backed away, like each silent step represented how much distance he'd have with Hermione for the rest of their lives. As they tended to her, all the sound in the room seemed to dull out in his superior ears where only the visual status of their work sustained. His body moved slow and heavy, watching Remus glance in his direction once in awhile, but his entire concern was for the intelligent witch that lay on top of the comforter of the King sized bed.

Sirius stepped away further, hearing nothing, watching only her, and feeling extremely out of place like a movie in slow motion. He felt disconnected to her, like if she were to awake, she'd only lash out on him, her fists balled, her eyes red and her tears running like a river because _he _had been the one to hurt her. He broke her heart. He made her hurt. He caused her pain. He was now to be out of her life and seen as nothing more than Harry's Godfather.

Sirius lifted a hand over his mouth as he saw her head slightly shift, indicating that she was starting to stir with all the power around her. His breath escaped him, his heart began to speed up and his nerves were absolutely shot. He couldn't face her, he wasn't ready, but how he would do anything to hear her sweet voice one more time – even if she was yelling at him.

Feeling like the walls were closing in on him, like he was all of a sudden out of place, he felt like he was removed from her life. Bowing his head to avoid anyone seeing the inner emotions beginning to peak through, he quietly escaped her room and stood by himself in the hallway.

He tried to leave undetected, as he felt the knots in his stomach begin to tighten. It was the feeling of loss, the feeling of sadness, and the sudden feeling of loneliness. He'd made a horrible mistake of taking it out on Hermione. Hell, he made a horrible mistake for taking this mission for the Order, but he knew he couldn't back down. Not when he had made the oath to protect anyone or anything at any cost. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought it out well enough when he had made that oath in the beginning, that he didn't take into consideration of a wife, he might have had. Or of a relationship that was his most valued possession.

To hear her laugh, or her cry, or any other of her sweet little sounds, would mean the world to him. Just to let her know that his intentions for going under with Snape and trying to reconnect with his dark relatives weren't really him. They were a mission, they were a cause, and they were not his primary concern. He had done it for the good of the Order, the safety of Harry, the protection of Hermione and now look where it had gotten him.

He vaguely remembered her words to him: _he had made her love him_. But, it was also him that had agreed to sign the annulment papers. It was he who sealed their fate to remain apart.

_It was him, and him alone that drove the final nail._

From the darkened void of his cell-like bedroom, a quiet knock was heard on Sirius's door. He had wrapped himself up in the unforgiving womanless bed, covered in a heavy comforter to keep him warm. Upon hearing the knock, he couldn't be bothered to open his eyes, so he just growled something that resembled permission to enter.

With quiet steps, fresh from the angel's guestroom, Remus stepped in to check on his friend. He neared the bed, placing a hand around a post and prepared his words.

"Could we just put a memory erase charm on her, so she doesn't remember any of the parts where I was an arse?" Sirius asked, from beneath the smothering covers.

Remus smiled slightly, relieved that his friend had shown a little humor in the situation. "No, Sirius, we can't alter her mind for that."

"Then what good is the spell, if it can't fix mistakes you've made?" the grave voice asked.

"Because, in other cases, people like you would be screwing up routinely." Remus quietly chuckled.

Sirius pushed down the covers, revealing a man that was tired, worn out and obviously heartbroken and trying to keep everything bottled in his chest. "Not the answer I was looking for, mate." His eyes fell down to the end of the bed to occupy his mind when he asked, "How is she?"

"She's going to be okay. She's very drained. It seems that your cousin hit her good and hard and the overall blow into the wall, as Harry explained it, took a number on her as well. In the morning, she'll come around, again." Remus paused for a few moments, before beginning again, "I talked to her, a little, Sirius."

Sirius raised his eyes to his longtime friend, slowly searching for anything that might help him resolve his idiocy.

"I'm not sure if she was able to comprehend all of it, as the potion we gave her knocked her out soon after she was revived." Remus explained.

Sirius's eyes were saddened, yet they shadowed with a glimmer of hope, "Anything, Remus? Did she say anything about...?"

Remus couldn't lie to his friend, even with as much as it pained to say anything at all, he just shook his head, "No mate, she was out."

Sirius just felt his inner child beginning to weep and he wasn't about to let his friend watch him, so he sent him away, after bidding him good night. He rolled over on his side, pulled the blankets up to his chin and drifted off to sleep, unsettled.

The new morning started to stir the house. The morning coffee was already brewing itself, creating an inviting aroma through the rooms. The sun still remained hidden behind gloomy clouds, a subtle indication of how the rest of the day might be.

Sirius started to move various limbs that had peeked out from under the covers during the night, double checking that they were still attached. For all he knew, his dark cousins could have found him out and secretly snuck into Grimmauld Place and dismantled him without his knowledge. But as unlikely as that was, he still lifted a lazy hand over his face to wake him up and ran his fingers through his hair. The feeling of nausea washed over him, with knowing that Hermione was probably still a few rooms down and that he was going to have to face her. There was no running away, this time.

Swallowing his pride, Sirius lifted his heavy body from the sanctuary of his old bed and made his way to one of his duffle bags that still held his clothes from when he'd moved out of the flat. They still remained balled up in piles on the floor, no Hermione to pick up after him, or folded in his bag from their drawer transfer. From one of his failed attempts to appease her, he managed to learn the proper way to fold a t-shirt before putting it in a drawer, thus keeping its shape as it was packed. He took out a clean long sleeved shirt and jeans and ventured out of his room to take a shower, to try and prepare him for the day.

The talk in the kitchen seemed to stop, the moment Sirius came in. He pushed his way into the sunken room, like all the many times before, and came upon Remus and Harry sitting together at the table. Harry looked up at his Godfather with concerned, but relieved eyes and slowly stood up from his chair. Sirius stopped in the doorway and just took a deep breath, summoning up the courage for any verbal beatings he was going to receive from Remus over how poorly the night before went.

Instead, it was Harry that came over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder. He could tell that Sirius was still coming out of the mental funk Snape had put him in for the last couple of months and approached him carefully, like you would a strange animal.

"Sirius, I'm glad you're all right." Harry said kindly, without any bit of dark emotion.

Sirius looked over at his only family and felt a soothing feeling fall down his spine, like someone had finally praised him for all that he'd risked. From marrying his best friend, to putting his own life at stake and then botching the entire thing up in the end, the spirit of James still looked up at him. Feeling that gentle sensation fill his veins, he gave a slight nod and waited for anything further from Harry.

"I told him, Sirius. Harry knows everything..." Remus paused, "about the mission."

Sirius just nodded a small appreciation of thanks, when he was forcibly hugged by the scarred one in a way that he was thankful enough for everything. Harry held his only father figure tightly, showing him appreciating affection that was not explained.

"I'm all right, Harry. No damage has been done." Sirius said, patting his godson on the back, displaying a little of his parental traits.

"But, you risked so much. They could have discovered that you really weren't..." Harry started, pulling away from Sirius and following alongside of him like a curious puppy as he went to get his morning coffee.

"I'm fine, Harry. Just give me a day, or so, to get all of this shit Snape did to my head out of my system." He said, feeling like part of him still wasn't awake, or maybe it was just part of him not wanting to think at that moment.

He had his coffee start itself and went to go sit down at the table with the two others. His head bowed forward, hiding his face from the curtains of silky locks and ran his fingers over the table in thought, tracing each divot and carved swirl.

"Severus is on his way over, now. He managed to get out, by saying that you drugged him and picked a fight with him, blaming the argument over the broken wand."

"I'm sure," Sirius's voice broke with a deep groan, "he told them that he kicked my ass. As if he could with that blown up ego."

Harry snorted from behind his piece of toast he was eating, "Ironic, wouldn't you say?"

Sirius sneered over at Harry, but in a pleasant way to know that he was right. "I could take him. Take away his wand and obviously he's –"

"I'm what, Black?" Snape sneered from the kitchen doorway, slinking in there undetected and unseen.

Sirius didn't even bother to turn his head as he finished sardonically, "talented enough without it."

"I'm sure. If it wasn't for me, your pathetic body would have been broken in pieces. Instead, you sobbed like a lovesick puppy dog."

"Piss off, Snape."

"Had I not intervened, Granger and Potter would have been dead!"

"I would not have! I could have-" Harry hollered at the very sound of his name.

"Enough! Harry, calm down. Sirius, for goodness sakes, give it a rest. Severus, thank you. I believe all in all, we made a decent attempt and unfortunately, the moment has past." Remus interjected.

"I'll go and see to Granger, and I'll be away. I've more important things to do, rather than stay here and dwell on the screw up you've done, Black." Snape slurred, already halfway out the door.

"Why did we let him in this organization, again? Remind me, why someone hasn't killed him yet?" A small bit of the old Sirius crept out of his mental hiding. As much as he was fighting himself not to be that "love sick puppy dog" as he was referred to, he couldn't help but take a stab at Snape as he was out of the room. "What is he doing to her, anyway?"

"He's making sure that anything Bellatrix might have done to her isn't permanent. He's going to read her mind, make sure there's not permanent damage there. He's concocted a potion that will dispose of any toxins still in her body that might cause her harm, over time."

At this time, Harry got up and left the kitchen, leaving the two alone. He was eager to see Hermione as she first came down the stairs, so he waited in the living room for Snape's report – if there was any.

At the sound of the door closing behind Harry, the loneliness set in and Sirius crinkled his face with deep emotional thought. He pined over the past, wishing that he never made the agreement to go under the spell and fuck everything up for the mission and Hermione. Now, as he sat there, his life feeling like utter shit, he raised his heavy eyes to his long time friend.

"She knows, now, Sirius. You can relax." Remus informed, knowing that his friend was going to ask something of his dream.

Sirius just watched Remus through a dull, numb expression. He felt no relief, he felt no hope, and he just felt still. His sense of hearing was at his keenest, and he could hear Snape entering her room from above. It still wasn't him, keeping her company.

"Did she say anything, Remus?" Sirius asked, clutching to his mug even tighter, using it for support or a crutch.

"She knows and that's a start. She seemed quiet, like she was absorbing everything I had said. She even asked if you knew what you were saying half the time, and I said, no. I explained to her that Snape had put you under and controlled most of your thinking patterns. She figured out a few answers on her own, as I explained the spell that was over you and for a moment, she nearly grinned," he added, with a lift in his voice. "But you could still see that she was deep in thought of the whole situation."

Sirius closed his eyes, confirming his predictions, "There's no hope, Remus. I've exhausted her enough and all of this will be over, soon."

Remus felt his friend's sorrow, and had nothing encouraging to say. A tinge of guilt settled in him, knowing that because of the good of the Order, Sirius sacrificed a great deal of happiness. Granted, had they eventually come out to everyone, Harry specifically, and admitted their feelings, then maybe they would have stayed together through all of this. But, the two of them together were the most unlikely couple and no one, not even Sirius, believed them to have the staying power.

"Maybe there's still hope, friend. You shouldn't give up, so easily. She didn't say anything afterwards, if that helps." Remus added, still unsure that it was helping.

Sirius just rolled his eyes at his friend, "Loads." He said, sarcastically. "After a few days, when she's talking to me again, I'll tell Harry. I just need to let him know what happened, so he can start hating me, as well."

"She doesn't hate you, Sirius."

"She does, Remus. I hurt her. I made her suffer, and now, she's laid up because she followed me there."

"She wasn't alone, Sirius. It wasn't just her. The other two insisted on going, just as much."

Sirius dropped his eyes to the steam that was rising out of his cup from the warm contents, "No, it was me she was going for. I could see it in her eyes when she caught me with Bella and Narcissa. She wasn't ready for it. She should have known about the plan from the beginning, otherwise..."

"She couldn't, Sirius. What if she had been caught by Voldemort? What if a Death Eater had captured her and given her verituserum and forced her to spill everything. The cover would have been blown!"

"It's already blown, Remus! I fucked it up and now we've got Snape left behind to clean it up. A lot of bloody good that'll do. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go into the living room and sulk." he raised his voice, tossing his coffee mug into the kitchen sink.

Sirius shoulders slumped and forced himself out of the dismal kitchen. He didn't want to have to sit and listen to Remus anymore than he had to, but rather at least get a good jab at Snape when he came down the stairs. Since all the happiness had left him for the time being, he was preparing himself for whatever Hermione was going to throw his way, if she chose to come down the stairs.

Remus watched Sirius leave, carrying a heavy burden on his shoulders. He had done the right thing for the Order, and still, he couldn't see that. Trying to convince a rather stubborn man otherwise, deemed impossible.

There was one more thing that Remus didn't tell Sirius about the conversation he'd had that morning with Hermione. It was that after all was explained to her, as she sat up against propped pillows in the bed, that she hung on his every word like her life depended on it.

"_He was under for that long, Remus? That was about the time..." she quietly thought to herself, remembering past events, "that things started to get bad."_

_Remus just nodded for her, agreeing that he, too, had seen a dramatic change in Sirius and he knew that the road ahead wasn't going to be a good one._

"_I wish we could have told you, Hermione. He wanted, so bad, to let you in on what he was doing, but we decided that it was in your best interests that you didn't find out. We were afraid-"_

"_-That Voldemort would make me tell him." she answered, as if she agreed with the plan and understood why they kept it secret._

_Remus grinned slightly pleased that she was slowly lifting the anger that had settled within her. "He didn't know what he was doing, Hermione. He was out of his mind; well, more than usual, anyway."_

_Hermione met his eyes with a hidden shine as if there was hope at the end of her dark tunnel. "What's he doing now?"_

"_He's sleeping the morning away, actually. He's been holed up in his room since he carried you in here, last night."_

"_He carried me?" she whispered._

"_He did, and then he left you with us. I saw him sneak out sometime before you started to wake up. I think he feels that things...aren't going to be the same." Remus explained, afraid to touch on anything too romantic between them. It was not his place to start speaking for Sirius when it comes to his true feelings._

_Hermione's eyes drifted towards to door, as if she half expected him to walk right in and finish the conversation like nothing had happened. "They'll be different."_

Sirius moped into the living room, where Harry was laying out pieces of Wizard's Chess and trying to tempt him into a game. Sirius just shrugged, quietly admitting that he was also was waiting for Hermione's final bill of health from Snape and agreed to pass the time with a game.

It was a great thing to have the right people back in the right places at the Ministry, but why did it feel like Sirius had just been kicked in the stomach? He felt like all the air had emptied from his lungs and that his entire world was about to come crashing down.

He heard Remus coming into the room and settling behind him in a chair. He occupied himself with a book he left nearby and flipped to his mark. Sirius slumped himself onto the couch, sinking further and further as Harry finished setting up the pieces. He rolled his head back against the cushions and closed his eyes to hear the gentle pit pat of Hermione on the floor about them. He had familiarized himself with it so well, that even in the loudest of households, he would still be able to pick out which sounds belonged to her.

Remus made some small talk with Harry chiming in now and then, agreeing that he was excited to get things back to the way they were. The old Sirius would be back and after all of this was over, the godfather and godson duo would be back out on the town together, prowling the streets and pubs.

Since his marriage to Hermione, Harry had to go along with the whole masquerade that his godfather had settled down with the muggle, so it desperately put a snag in their partying. Granted Harry would have never done this with his own father, but there was always something different about having your guardian be one of your best friends. In Sirius, Harry saw a friend and role model, in Harry, Sirius saw James and responsibility and regardless, things would always be that way.

With heavy steps down the staircase, Snape announced his return and swung around the banister with eyes on Sirius, like he'd done something horribly wrong. Then, he aimed his eyes on Remus. He pointed to him and motioned to step a little bit further away from Harry and Sirius to discuss something. Remus narrowed his eyes and quickly stepped to his feet to follow Snape out of earshot. Sirius barely craned his neck but let his eyes follow on the sniveling potions puppy.

"What is it, Severus? Is she okay?" Remus whispered, keeping his voice quiet.

Severus quietly explained his process and said her general health was fine, her mental state had no damage, but when he gave her the toxin elixir, her body rejected it.

"What do you mean, her body rejected it?" Remus asked, concerned for his young friend.

Sirius raised his attentions to the staircase, as he heard lighter, heavenly steps coming down the stairs. Carefully and quietly, Hermione started to slowly descend down the stairs with an elegant airy grace. Her hand barely touched the old wooden railing and she kept her head ducked low, watching each and every step her foot took, as if she'd just learned to walk again.

Sirius caught that warm feeling of ease that she was going to be all right and he couldn't help but smile to himself over how pretty she looked, even in her house robe that was loosely tied around her waist.

Through her messy brown tendrils, her face emerged, looking ahead of her in a trance-like state. She was different, concerned, but content and only Sirius noticed the change.

Slowly sitting up from his slumping down into the couch, he asked, "Hermione, love, are you all right?"

She didn't look at him as she took the last step off the staircase, and instead just stared at the coffee table with her mouth turned into a slight grin and mind deep in thought. She slowly nodded, finally acknowledging Sirius and began to whisper a few things to herself.

"Maybe it's finally just settled in, that she's not going to have to stay married to you, Sirius." Harry chuckled, leaning over to playfully punch his godfather in the arm.

Sirius paid no attention and was deeply concerned for the way she was acting; something was not right. Hermione smiled a little bigger when she heard Harry and lightly shook her head, implying that it wasn't the case.

Snape stood with his arms crossed, irritated, but waiting to see how the outcome was going to be. Remus watched Snape, then Hermione, anxious as well.

"Hermione, what is it?" Sirius asked, again.

Slowly, her eyes rose to meet his, dropping her smile and focusing just on him. "Things are going to change now, aren't they?"

Harry started laughing, assuring everyone that it was Hermione just realizing the annulment. Sirius shushed Harry to quiet down from distracting him from what she was trying to say.

Hermione's mouth opened, taking a deep breath before saying, "I'm pregnant."

In a flash, Sirius was up and standing in front of Hermione, cradling her face in his trembling hands.

"What!?" Harry gasped, coughing as he choked his words out, absolutely stunned.

Sirius whispered to her, "Truly?" His whole body was shaking like a leaf, as if he couldn't be happier, but just as frightened that there was a painful catch.

Her eyes were bright and hopeful as she bit her lip and nodded.

Sirius sighed heavy, quietly elated with the news and leaned his forehead against hers the way he used to and just cherished her face in his palms again, "We're going to have a baby, together?"

His words broke down her defensive wall and she started to let tears slowly stream down her cheeks. Her concerned face turned into that of relief. She felt the air fill her lungs once again and her heart was light and fluttering. _Together._

Hermione couldn't speak, she was so nervous, and just nodded for him. She hadn't expected him to act like this; she hadn't expected him to act like anything.

"So, we don't get an annulment? We stay married?" he suggested, curling his fingers in her hair behind her ears, tenderly.

Again, she only nodded, but furiously.

"Merlin's Beard, thank God!" he sighed, pulling her in for a most desperate kiss.

Harry sat absolutely still and completely stunned, not believing what he was hearing. Remus watched on, beginning to smile again, once he saw that two of them seemed to be happy with the news. He was concerned at first, when Snape had said her body had rejected the detox potion, which could only mean that it was a bad reaction with something of a higher power. Once he saw Hermione coming down the stairs, and the way she looked at Sirius, he just knew.

Remus had been so caught up with the pair that he nearly forgot all about Harry, who was hearing all this news for the first time. He quickly went to Harry, who seemed to have trouble with the simple act of taking oxygen into his lungs, and put a caring arm around him.

"It's all right, Harry. Take it easy, now. Just try to breathe normally." Remus soothed.

"You mean you two..." Harry shouted, complete worry and disappointment that he hadn't seen it coming, "They were really together?" He looked anxiously at Remus, desperately wanting answers. "They were sleeping together?" he yelled, absolutely baffled with their display. Finally, he looked back down at his chess set, as if it had just settled in on him, that he had to have been blind, "I never saw it; I thought they were faking it!" Harry startled to ramble on, trying to convince himself while being consoled by Remus.

Sirius pulled away from her soft lips and leaned his forehead against hers. He couldn't think of the right words to say that he was just so happy to have her with him again. Now, as he felt her soft tendrils over his fingers, and hearing her breathless from their kiss, he felt complete. The damage had been done, but it was easy to overcome. His destiny had been decided for him, after all. The wards he had put up to protect them had to have been taken down, to allow just an extra piece of his serenity come to him.

When Trelawny had said that he was _to protect another, and another, and another_ it was Hermione, Harry and his unborn child. It all made sense.

It was true, he had cheated death already, but it was only that day, as he was told that he was going to be a father, did he truly feel reborn.

Sirius Black would never have believed that he would find his destiny in the gawky thirteen year old girl he first met, fresh from prison. He knew somewhere above, James and Lily might have had a hand in planning it with the Gods, and he was forever grateful. He'd been cheated out of his youth, lost all those years wasting away in a dark cold cell, and only when he confronted his godson did he first meet his wife-to-be.

Hermione closed her eyes to him, smiling her rosebud lips and nuzzling her nose against his unshaven cheek. She was young, yes. She was his godson's best friend, yes. She was now to be the mother of his child, yes. The rest of his life would be complete.

With every emotion in his being, he quietly whispered, "I love you."

**THE END.**

Epilogue to Follow.


	25. The Epilogue

_A Note from Serade Black:_ _Well, here's the last piece for this story. I don't know, yet, if a sequel will happen. I have to see what kind of conflict I can work out, before I start anything. I hate starting things and not finishing them...so, I have to finish what I've started already. Who knows, maybe I'll use a plot bunny from one of those stories to intertwine into a sequel. For now, there is none planned. However, that could change._

_This is a rather short epilogue, but I'm both eager to start another one, and not give away too many secrets to this one. I like how it turned out, though like many of you, I wanted to see Sirius with "nappies"._

_For all of your reviews and comments on LJ, or via email, I really appreciated all your words of encouragement as it gave me confidence as a writer to do more fanfiction!_

_Stay tuned for more adventures and romance for the couple, because they are my OTP! _

**The Epilogue**

**_Twelve Years Later_**

Through the drifting mist off the lake, Hogwarts came into view. Small little boats quietly traveled across the still water holding the wide-eyed first years. With Hagrid in command, he held his lantern high and proud, trying to make a good impression of authority on all the new students that were frightened beyond their wits.

They reached the docking rocks and one by one, they piled out of the little boats and followed closely behind Hagrid with eyes as big as saucers.

"Fers' years, this way. Keep up!" The loud heavy voice bellowed on this darkened night.

The big, overgrown half-giant led them to the big doors where Headmistress McGonagall welcomed them with a small firm lip that tried its best into a grin. Her eyes fell over the new hopeful students, thinking to herself of all the new generations of wizards and witches that were going to occupy her school.

As the students followed the Headmistress into a small room, they were explained about the sorting hat and what it was going to do for them. They were told, in detail, about their houses they would be put into and how they'd come about. Most of the wizarding families had already explained it to their children, but for the new muggle family wizards, they listened carefully, absorbing every minute detail.

The students filed into the great lavish hall, following the witch with the green robes and tattered old hat, which she set upon a stool before the rest of the staff table.

Like usual, Severus Snape leered menacingly at the new hopefuls, curving his lip into a disgusted grimace. His shoulder length greasy hair and dark eyes stood out from the rest of the staff, that there was no denying the legend of Snape. He was still as dark and mean, but now at least, he sat in his cushy job as the Defense against the Dark Arts Professor.

"As I call your name, come up and take a seat." The Headmistress announced and unrolled a long scroll with names in alphabetical listing. "Adams, Clara!"

A meek and sky redhead came forward and slipped up onto the stool, trying not to focus on all the sets of eyes that were set on her.

The sorting hat fluttered its loose seams and started to decided where to put the young girl, "A quiet one, you are. Not too much to go out there with, when it comes to throwing yourself into danger. Though, loyal you will be, Hufflepuff is where I place you!"

The room erupted with the first one finished and the Hufflepuff table proudly welcomed its newest house member, patting the young shy girl on the back. She took a seat on the end and turned to the front of the room, to see who was going to be next.

"Black, Adara!" McGonagall yelled, trying to suppress a small smile and not to look the least bit bias to the new, yet familiar face.

A few small whispers amongst the other students began, having known that Harry Potter was this young girls' godfather. A couple of blonde haired boys craned their necks from the Ravenclaw table to better see who was coming forward.

Emerging from the crowd of first years, a pretty young girl with long black curls, sharp features and deep blue eyes made her way to the chair. She fixed her robes that may have wrinkled upon walking through the crowd and lifted her chin proudly to take her seat. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly as the hat was placed on her head.

The aged sorting hat perked up and began its thinking, "Oh, another challenge! Hmm, you are a combination of two very great minds. One comes from a long family of Slytherins, only to have been the first in his family to be sorted into Gryffindor. And then, your mix of one so bright, there was no doubt where to put her. This is easy to say: GRYFFINDOR!" the hat shouted, lifting off her head with joy as it wiggled its brim.

The young girl hopped off her seat and looked up at the Headmistress with a smile from ear to ear, like you would a close family relative.

McGonagall winked at her and nodded, "Just like your parents, Adara, Gryffindors!"


End file.
